Taking Chances
by SharonS
Summary: What happens when Winnie finally decides to take a chance? I've also changed the rating for the story now, so don' worry if you have problems finding it, it's still here.
1. Chapter 1

**Taking Chances**

By: Sharon

Although sitting, listening, and waiting patiently were all a huge part of her job, she would never claim it was easy, but after a few years on the job, it had gotten easier. There were certain calls that continued to be harder than others, and today's was just such a call. The tension, pressure, and pure agony of feeling useless while one of Team One's members was in harms way were always difficult. This time however, she was struggling to remain calm and keep her breathing steady and even. A knot was quickly developing in her throat and stomach.

She just sat there, at her dispatch desk listening. Parker was yelling at Ed, Ed was yelling at Spike, and Spike was yelling at the civilian who had planted the bomb. Inside her own head she was with Ed. Screaming at Spike to get out of that building before the bomb blew! She knew the team's tactical expert liked things that went boom, but this was much more than she could handle. Over the last couple of years she had gotten used to the sound of Team One in her ear. To the average listener, those voices of the Team One members currently shouting would sound calm yet demanding, but she'd gotten to know the timber and cadence of each of the member's voices over the last few years and right now all she could hear was the panic, more than the actual words. Parker was concerned for not only Ed and Spike, but for the civilian in the shaft with Spike. Ed was concerned, but also angry at Spike for disobeying an order. Spike was concerned for himself, Kanisky, the building, and knowing Spike, he was worried about Baby cakes as well, as the robot was also still in the building about to blow. _Spike, please listen to Ed and get out now!_

Thoughts of Lou crept into her head bringing tears to her eyes. She quickly blinked them back. _No, Spike's fate would not be the same, but how can you stay there knowing, knowing what the outcome would be if you don't get out in time?_ The pain it would inflict just might be insurmountable. The team, she knew they were a very strong and dedicated lot, but in her heart she honestly didn't believe they could handle another teammate being blown to smithereens. What about his mother? Mrs. Scarlatti was dealing with enough. Everyone knew Spike's dad was terminally ill, as a matter of fact, Dominic Scarlatti was currently hospitalized. Spike was burning the candle at both ends these days, when he wasn't at work; he was at the hospital sitting with his mother by his father's bedside.

Oh, how she worried about him. She knew she couldn't handle it if something were to happen to Team One's happy go lucky member. She would fall apart. She, unlike with Lou's death, could not and would not be able to soldier on if Spike came to the same end as his best friend. _God, Spike, just get out; let the building go up, it's not as important as you are!_

She'd been on duty the day Lew had stepped on the landmine. After he'd made the ultimate sacrifice and lifted his weight off the device and the team had pretty much fallen apart, she'd taken her earpiece out. The one and only time she'd done so. It had all just been too painful. They'd lost Lew that day. A teammate, a co-worker, a friend, but it was listening to Spike's pain that had made keeping her earpiece in unbearable. Sitting and listening to his anguish she'd finally succumbed to her own pain. She'd taken out the piece and cried like a baby.

Weeks later on a day when she and Jules had gone out for lunch together, Jules had filled her in on what had happened in the field. She was informed that like herself, Sam had taken out his earpiece as he turned his back and walked away. She had found a new respect for the ex-military man knowing how he'd reacted. She liked to think that he couldn't take the sound of Spike falling apart either. Jules herself broke down in tears as well and had turned to Wordy who had been standing beside her at the time. He'd wrapped a protective arm around her and held her while she let her immediate grief out. Ed, Mr. calm, cool and collected had apparently stood stalk still staring at the place where Lew had once stood, tears pooling in his eyes. Sarge, like Jules had immediately brought his hands up to the sides of his head. He then adjusted his ball cap and slowly made his way to Spike, who Jules informed her had immediately dropped to his knees while letting out a blood curdling cry before he too cried like a baby. Greg dropped to his knees as well and embraced Spike, rocking him back and forth.

She in turn told Jules her reaction on that fateful day. Told her how she just couldn't handle listening to Spike fall apart like that. Jules had sat and nodded her head up and down in agreement. She told Winnie how hard it had been to not only hear it, but witness the sight as well.

Just as fast as the sick feeling and tension had built, it disappeared. Spike had saved the day, figured out the numerical code and diffused the bomb.

"Bomb diffused."

She had felt herself relax, more beautiful words she'd never heard spoken. She continued to settle down as team members conversations came through her earpiece once again.

"Michelangelo Scarlatti, what were you thinking?" Ed asked.

"Just doing my job," was the reply.

"Come on." She could tell by the noises coming through the ear piece that Ed's last words were being followed by embraces. How she wished just once she could be a part of the congratulatory hugs. She wanted to wrap her arms around them and feel the sense of accomplishment, mostly though she just wanted to feel for herself that he was in one piece. Even so, those hugs brought with it a huge sigh and a smile to her face. Tension quickly began to build again however when Spike spoke again, this time to the boss.

"I've gotta go."

"Go." Greg answered as the team continued to celebrate their victory.

She knew where he meant and her heart ached for him. He had to get back to the hospital to his father, to his mother. They had all overheard the phone call Spike had received from his mother while he'd been trying to diffuse the bomb. The doctor's had found a blood clot and Mr. Scarlatti was not expected to make it through the night. Poor Spike, she would give anything to change the circumstances of his life right now.

****FP****

An hour after celebrating their success Team One shuffled into headquarters, sans Sam, Jules, and Spike. She knew all three had gone to the hospital, Spike for obvious reasons and Jules and taken Sam to have him checked out to be sure he wasn't suffering from a concussion after having been knocked unconscious after one of the two bombs had exploded this afternoon.

"Hey, Boss." She acknowledged Greg Parker.

"Hey, Winnie, good job today."

Her only response had been a small nod. She watched as Greg, Ed, and Raf continued to walk by her down the hallway and into the men's locker room. They looked tired but good. They had accomplished their everyday goal of keeping the peace and keeping people safe. She was proud to be a member of the SRU. Their good days far outweighed their bad.

An hour later when the three team members were sitting in the conference room going over the calls reports, Jules and Sam walked into her view. "Hey, looking good, Sam." She smiled.

"Thanks, Winnie." He smiled back at her.

"They're in there." She nodded her head towards the conference room.

"Thanks." Jules responded.

Later when the team came out of the conference room Greg walked up to her desk. "Hey Winnie, Spike just called. His father passed earlier, he's going to be taking some personal time. Can you get me the numbers of possible replacements please?"

"Sure, Boss. I'll have them within the hour."

"Thanks." Greg said as he walked away.

****FP****

A week later she sat at her desk filling out paperwork when she saw him walking towards her desk. She hadn't seen him since his father's funeral. Even then it hadn't been for long. She'd been on duty that day but Sergeant Parker had pulled some strings allowing her enough time to attend the funeral and then get back to work. So, unlike Team One, she hadn't gone back to the Scarlatti house afterward to be there for Spike and his family.

"Hi, Winnie." He smiled at her. It wasn't his regular one thousand mega-watt smile, as it didn't make his eyes twinkle, but she'd take what he was able to give under the circumstances.

"Hey, Spike. How ya feeling?"

"Okay." He replied as he continued walking past her desk. Even though he looked tired and wasn't his normal bubbly self, she was happy to see him back. Quite often his acknowledgment in the mornings was one of the best moments in her day. Before all the craziness of their day began, he always had a smile and a silly story to tell her and anyone else that had gathered around her desk. She'd missed him tremendously during the past week, as did the team. She was sure they would be happy to have him back.

****FP****

Winnie and her roommate Stephanie Saunders having spent a rare day off together were sitting in a local restaurant having dinner. The two had woke in the morning and did a good clean of their apartment before stopping so each could take a shower, apply their makeup and have some lunch before heading out to the local shopping centre.

"So, that was him!" Stephanie exclaimed for about the thousandth time.

"Yeah," was Winnie's one word response.

She still couldn't believe she and Stephanie had run into Spike and his nephew. He and his nephew had been exiting the movie theatre having gone to see an afternoon screening of the newest children's blockbuster. She hadn't planned on approaching them, but when Spike had looked up from having been looking down at his nephew and saying something he had spotted her and immediately gave her a wave and smile while walking towards them. He quickly introduced the young boy standing beside him and she in turn had introduced Stephanie. Winnie's roommate invited the boys to join them for dinner, Spike thanked her but informed them his mother was expecting them and they should get going. He told Stephanie it was nice meeting her and told Winnie he'd see her the next morning at work and was quickly on his way.

"I can see why you're sweet on him." Stephanie smiled as their waiter approached with their salads.

"Sweet on...what are we in the 50's?" Winnie whined after waiting for their waiter to depart.

"I was trying to be nice, or would you like me to just call it as I see it. You have the hots for him. How many stories have I listened to about Spike did this, Spike did that. Spike said this, Spike said that."

"The hots?"

"Yes and I can see why. He's a cutie."

Knowing she didn't have a response to her friends statement Winnie gathered some food onto her fork and shoved it into her mouth.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," Winnie shrugged.

"Nothing! Why?"

"We work together."

"So."

"There are rules against that sort of thing."

"But you guys don't work directly together, right?"

"No, but…"

"No butts. Working together shouldn't matter here."

"I don't know…"

"Winnie, you're single, attractive, and human. Why not at least ask him out for coffee sometime, nothing major, just two friends getting together for coffee and conversation."

"Co-workers."

"Friends." Stephanie corrected her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Taking Chances – Chapter two

**Summary:** What happens when Winnie decides to take a chance?

**Pairing:** Winnie/Spike

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, I just take them out to play with every once in a while

**A/N: **Thanks to those who have left reviews and added the story to their alerts or me to their author alerts, it's especially encouraging because I had no idea how this story would be received. To that end, I'm also interested in finding a beta if anyone is interested you can PM me. Thanks.

Winnie Camden sat at her desk monitoring the movements and actions of the Toronto Police Departments Strategic Response Unit Four who were currently in their third hour of a hot call. A lone gunman had entered an elementary school in Scarborough just before the end of the school day. She was calling off other first responders who she had earlier alerted to the situation, members of the regular force, the fire department, and EMT's. Calls involving children were always hard to deal with, but calls involving an entire school always set her heart racing and her adrenaline pumping. She didn't know how the teams managed to remain so calm. She supposed it was not only a part of their personality, but their training as well.

She was also aware of Team Three, who were currently in the gym, working out and would later be heading out to the firing range. Team one, had just finished a shift and were in the locker rooms changing into their street clothes. The current call was winding down, the perp had been contained and all school staff and children accounted for, with minimal injuries. Just as she was receiving a response back from a 911 operator confirming the cancellation of any further fire department personnel, Sam and Raf walked by her desk and waved goodbye. She nodded her head in acknowledgement while continuing to chat with the operator on the other end of the line.

Moments later, Jules walked up to her desk and stood patiently waiting for a down moment. "Hey Jules," Winnie smiled towards the other woman.

"We're heading to the Goose for a few; you wanna' join us once you're done?" Jules asked knowing her dispatcher friend still had some time left in her shift.

****FP****

The male members of Team One had been gathered around a couple of side by side small rectangular tables at the Goose for drinks for forty-five minutes, when their lone female team mate joined them. Raf slide to his left a little allowing Julies to slide into the booth that ran along the entire back wall of the pub.

"Sorry I'm late." She said as she sat down next to her newest team mate.

"Oh, you weren't here?" Ed Lane questioned with a smirk on his face.

Jules looked at the man sitting across from her while raising her eyebrows, "Funny."

"Not one of my best, but it'll pass," he replied with a full smile this time.

The waitress quickly appeared next to Jules who ordered herself a beer, then turned to the guys, the ones who were paying attention to her anyway, "I invited Winnie to join us, hope you don't mind?"

"Our Winnie, yeah sure, great idea," Raf answered.

While Ed nodded his head, "Why would we mind?"

"I don't know, we don't often ask people to join us. I just thought it would be nice, after all, we work with her almost every shift."

"Yeah, we're lucky." Sam, who was sitting on the other side of the table from Raf joined the conversation.

"Hey, they're all good at their jobs." Ed said.

"Isn't she still working?" Sam asked.

"She gets off in half an hour." Julies answered while looking at her watch.

"How come they don't work the same hours as us?" Raf asked.

Ed looked at his rookie, "They over-lap our shifts with theirs for continuity; keeps things running smoothly while teams do shift changes. Once a team gets settled in the dispatchers shift change takes place, it works well.

"Kay."

****FP****

Winnie stood outside of Goose's for a few minutes trying to decide whether or not she should join the teams down time? A huge part of her wanted to, but there was a small portion of her brain that felt uneasy about it. She never before joined any of the teams away from work, other than the annual Christmas Party. She occasionally joined Jules or Donna, or both for a girls night out but never the guys. She didn't know how she'd be received and it made her nervous. The fact that Spike would be here produced butterflies in her stomach. She looked in the glass encased door before her and took a quick inventory of her appearance. Thankfully she'd worn a decent pair of jeans and a nice shirt to work. She'd refreshed her make up at work and her hair, well, it would have to do. There wasn't much she could do to spruce it up at the moment. Giving herself a B for appearance she finally took in a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pulled on the heavy door.

It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting but when they did she found her co-workers seated along the back wall of the pub. Greg, Spike, and Ed were seated on wooden chairs with their backs to her, while Sam, Raf, and Jules sat on the booth running along the entire back wall, facing her. As she walked towards the group she caught Sam's eyes and he broke into a smile, helping the butterflies in her stomach to settle.

"Hey, Winnie." He welcomed her.

She noticed Jules automatically pushing herself over making room for Winnie to sit beside her. A quick round of friendly boisterous greetings were bestowed on her as she took a seat beside Jules and soon the waitress at the other end of their tables, standing beside Greg who was ordering another round. He turned towards her.

"Winnie, what'll you have?"

"A blue," she looked at the waitress, once that was taken care of the gang quickly returned to talk of the Maple Leafs.

A few drinks later, Ed announced to the group he had to get home. The baby had been to the doctor that afternoon for a vaccination and was now running a small fever, so he wanted to relieve Sophie from fever duty. Greg, too, got to his feet announcing he was going to head home as well. Half an hour later Sam decided he was heading out as well, leaving Jules, Winnie, Spike, and Raf holding down the fort. The foursome gathered at one table now and talked for an hour and a half on various topics and ordered food before Raf and Spike left the table for a game of pool

"I'm happy you came." Jules told Winnie.

"Me, too, thanks for inviting me."

"Not a problem, you should join us more often."

"Yeah, I'm having fun. It's also nice to get to know everyone away from work."

"I bet Ed doesn't seem so intimidating now." Jules smiled knowing their leader always came across as a hard ass.

"Honestly, I've never really been afraid of him."

"Really?" The surprise was evident in Jules' voice.

"Really, I know when you guys are in the field he sounds scary, but around my desk he's always been friendly and kind, and he smiles a lot."

"Huh," Was Jules only response before she took a drink of beer. "That's gotta be a first."

Winnie giggled at Jules. "To be honest, you all sound scary in the field. I sure wouldn't want any of you breaking down my door."

"It's all a façade. Need to be loud and authoritative to get people's attention and take them off guard."

"Still."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway, enough of the shop talk, how've you been?" Jules asked.

"Good. You?"

"Good, things are well. Have you been seeing anyone lately?"

Winnie had once told Jules about her last boyfriend and their subsequent breakup. Don hadn't liked the hours she worked. She was on a rotating schedule that included three different shifts, days, afternoons, and midnights. Don had also displayed signs of jealousy, especially after he'd come to pick her up at work and caught a glimpse of all the guys walking around in their uniforms. He had exclaimed that a regular guy didn't stand a chance against the testosterone walking around the building.

"No, you?"

"No, been sticking to myself lately." Jules replied.

Winnie noticed a sad look come across Jules' face as she said her last words.

"Perhaps one day you'll meet someone." Winnie offered, not realizing Jules believed she'd already met someone special and had let him go.

"Yeah, you, too." Jules replied. The negotiator in Jules noticed Winnie squirming. "Wait, are you telling me the truth? Are you dating someone?" She asked again.

"No." Winnie shook her head.

Jules looked at her friend a long time before she stated, "But, you've met someone."

Winnie looked towards her friend and quickly turned away.

"Winnie?"

"What?"

"You have met someone, haven't you?"

Winnie risked a quick glance towards the pool tables and then back to her friend. "Yes."

"Hey, that's great!" Again, Jules noticed Winnie's body language was saying something else. "There's a problem. He's not married is he?"

"No," Winnie shook her head back and forth before taking a pull on her beer.

"Then what's the problem?" Jules asked.

"Who said there's a problem?" Winnie countered.

"You did, now talk."

"Jules…" When her friend didn't say anything but kept looking at her, Winnie decided to get things off of her chest. "Okay, I've known him for a while. I wasn't attracted to him right away. Didn't find him unattractive or anything, just ever really felt anything, you know?"

When Jules didn't interrupt her, but just kept nodding her head in encouragement, she continued, "Over time, I started noticing little things. Like how he can always make me smile, no matter my mood, he's kind and gentle. He has an expressive face, especially his eyes..." Winnie paused for a while before she added, "Then before I knew it, I was noticing his looks as well, now I can't believe there was a time when I wasn't attracted to him."

"Does he know?" Jules asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then what's the problem?" Jules asked again.

Winnie thought hard before answering her friend, but in the end she decided to come clean. "We work together." She confessed.

"Oh," Jules eyes grew large. "So the dispatchers have rules against fraternizing?" Jules asked a little guiltily.

"I don't really know, but it doesn't matter. He's not a dispatcher," she confirmed.

"Oh." Jules responded.

It was at least thirty seconds later before Jules realized what her friend was saying, "OH!" and her eyes once again grew huge.


	3. Chapter 3

Just as Jules realized what the dispatcher was telling her Raf and Spike returned to the table.

"Who won?" Winnie asked.

"Me." Raf answered while standing a bit taller.

"He cheated." Spike accused while taking a seat across from his negotiator team mate.

"I did not!"

"You didn't call that shot." Spike looked up.

"I did so; you were too busy flirting with the waitress to hear me."

The smile on Winnie's face which had appeared while listening the two men banter, quickly faded at Raf's last statement. Her eyes sought out Spikes only to find him looking at Jules.

"You okay?" Spike asked, when she neglected to respond, he tried again. "Jules?"

"Huh?" The petite woman seemed to come out of a trance like state and looked across the table at her friend.

"I asked if you're okay." Spike furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She took a quick glance at Winnie, but when she noticed Winnie wasn't looking at her, she returned her focus back to Spike.

"Well, I'm gonna head out." Raf tapped his finger on the table top.

"Yeah, I should go too." Winnie stood. "You need a ride?" she asked Raf.

"You don't mind?"

"No. Come on." She turned to her still seated friends. "Take care, see you later."

"Yeah, bye guys, you okay to drive?" Spike looked at Winnie.

Winnie shook her head up and down, "I'm good," she replied before she and Raf walked away.

"Winnie, I'll give you a call tomorrow." Jules called after the dispatcher. "Well…" she turned her attention to Spike.

"Well…come on, I'll walk you home." Spike stood looking down at Jules.

"Spike…"

"Don't argue with me, I'm walking you home."

"Okay." She rolled her eyes as she stood.

****FP****

When the two reached Jules' home they both entered through the front door. "You want a coffee?" Jules asked as she threw her keys onto the table inside the front door and turned back to Spike.

"No, I'm gonna' get home."

"Where's your truck?"

"At work, don't worry, I'll take the subway."

"Kay," she responded then looked her friend in the eye, "How are you doing?"

Spike returned her stare knowing she wasn't asking about his current alcohol induced state. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You only took a week."

"Jules."

"Spike, it's important you allow yourself some time to grieve."

Spike sighed and looked away before responding, "I can't just stay at home, Jules. I can't do it. I don't know what to do with myself."

"Do something you enjoy that's not work related." Jules emphasized her last two words. Knowing full well that Spike more than any other member of the team spent a lot of his off duty time working, reading up on the latest security systems, firewalls, password coding, and all kinds of bomb related issues. She was sure Spike knew more about any of that stuff than the rest of them combined. "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

"I'm taking my ma grocery shopping."

"That's all? Maybe you should take a holiday, get away for a while, go South."

"I can't leave her right now, Jules."

Jules smiled, Spike was such as sweetheart. "Come on, Spike. I'm sure your sister would be willing to look in on your mother while you're away."

"She has a family of her own to take care of."

"Spike, your mother is a part of her family. Maybe she would even welcome the chance to do more."

When Spikes body language started to tell Jules he was shutting down, Jules knew she was pushing her friend too hard. "Okay, don't take a holiday, don't even take some more time off, but please do something for fun. Did you get the waitress' phone number tonight?" She asked. When Spike didn't answer her she knew the answer was yes. The waitress' at the Goose always seemed to be producing their numbers for Spike out of the blue. She couldn't even recall a time when Spike had even asked any of them.

"Give her a call, Spike. Take her out. See a movie, have dinner, I don't know have wild meaningless sex. Just have some fun."

"I don't do meaningless sex." Was his only response, which Jules laughed at, also noting he omitted wild in that statement.

"Maybe you should give it a try." She teased.

"And risk my mother's wrath. No thanks." He teased back.

"She raised you well." Jules laughed. "Seriously, Spike, don't do anything work related tomorrow okay?" It was more of a question than a statement. Jules knew Spike had a mind of his own and could be the most stubborn of them all.

"Okay."

"You promise."

"Promise," he smiled. "I should get going."

"Kay. Take care and give your mom a hug for me."

"I will. Thanks Jules."

"For what?"

"For caring." He replied before leaving her home.

When he did so, Jules locked the door behind him and stood looking out the glass window in her door at his departing back for a while. She knew she wasn't the only one concerned about her friend. The entire team worried he hadn't taken enough personal time after his father's passing.

Both Greg and Ed had admitting calling Spike a few times during the week he had taken off. She also knew Greg continued to text him periodically, just to let him know he was there if he needed someone to talk to. She'd spoken to Wordy a few days before and he had told her that he and Shelly had had Spike over for dinner about a week earlier. She herself had gone to a movie with Spike the previous week, and Sam. Well, some weird dynamic had developed between Sam and Spike that she wasn't sure of. She assumed it had to do with Sam's sister Natalie, but she couldn't be sure. Perhaps Spike was dating Nat and Sam didn't approve. However, she couldn't imagine that, why would Sam object? The two team mates seemed to be good friends.

Although, she had to remind herself that men were odd creatures. They could be the best of friends but throw a woman into the mix and their friendship would inevitably change, especially when the woman was one of their sisters.

And then there was Raf. None of them knew Raf very well yet. She had no idea if he and Spike had forged the kind of friendship yet that would lead to Raf reaching out to Spike during this difficult time?

Jules made her way to her tiny kitchen and put her kettle on the stove in order to make herself a tea. She continued to contemplate what was going on between Sam and Spike. The bomb expert had admitted to her less than half an hour earlier that he didn't do meaningless sex, which she could assume would mean casual sex. So, perhaps Spike and Natalie were seriously dating and Sam didn't like it, or, or what else? She had to admit she didn't know.

When the kettle whistled she quickly set about making her tea and checked to see if the back door was locked. Before making her way upstairs she double checked the front door and then made her way upstairs to her bathroom. Once there she set her tea down and began washing her face and brushing her teeth. Then retreated into her bedroom and undressed, put on a pair of pajamas before setting the tea on her night stand and climbing into bed. She had planned on watching a little television, but didn't bother turning it on.

She sat in bed contemplating what she was going to do with herself the following day. First and foremost was her laundry, but she also planned to get a hold of Winnie and find out who Winnie was attracted to. How could she have been so blind as not to see her friend's feelings for someone at work? What team was he on? Boy, there were so many men to choose from. Could it be Raf? He really hadn't been around that long and Jules had gotten the feeling that this mystery man was not someone new on the job? What had Winnie said about him? _He was kind and gentle, well that could be anyone of the guys really. Oh God, please don't let it be Sam! Okay, what else had Winnie said? That he could always make her smile. _She nodded her head not really sure she'd be able to figure this out, _Ed, he was always making Winnie smile, but no, he's married, Winnie said he wasn't married. Hmm, this is a mystery. _Jules continued to try and think of who her friend had been talking about until her tea was finished. Deciding she wasn't going to uncover the man's identity anytime soon, she turned off her beside lamp and snuggled into bed.

****FP****

Winnie arrived at work an hour early two days later so she could work out in the gym. It was one of the perks of her job, although a civilian member of the force, she had access to all the facilities at work, except for the firing range. As she sat on the stationary bike cycling she thought back to a few evenings before when she had joined team one for a drink after hours.

It had been yet another emotional day at work. Ed had the day off as Donna Sabine from team three was getting married. With her father no longer living, she'd asked Ed if he'd give her away at her wedding, he agreed. Long story short all hell had broken loose and team one had been called out to her wedding, with her new husband being shot by one of Donna's former co-workers from the vice squad.

After work, the team gathered at a local watering hole for drinks and Winnie had been invited along. She had truly enjoyed herself. She'd gotten to know the guys a little better. Ed spoke proudly of his teenage son Clark's caring nature with his new baby sister.

Raf talked about his early days as a police officer on the beat and how he'd become determined to make it onto the ranks of the SRU.

She, Greg and Jules had chatted about their teenage years. Their graduation nights, their proms, and Greg and Jules about heading off to the police academy and she about her entrance into a police foundations course followed by her applying for the dispatch position she currently held and the subsequent training she'd received once she'd been hired on.

Meanwhile, Spike and Sam played pool which allowed Winnie to witness Spike in a relaxed setting. She'd been so pleased to see him laid-back. It looked like the down time had allowed him to forget, for at least a few hours, the stress he was under. He smiled and joked and so many times during the evening she'd seen glimpses of his old self shine through. His eyes twinkled and he actually laughed. It brought her immense joy. She so worried about his emotional well-being these days that seeing him so calm allowed her to smile and relax as well.

There had been a brief moment when the team had talked about the days call. Ed talked about the difficulty of remaining calm while trying to talk Donna down when she drew here weapon on her former partner. Greg, about remaining calm when Ed took over as main negotiator and Spike had talked about one of the most difficult things he'd done in years was having to train his weapon on Donna when Hank lowered his gun and Donna hadn't making her the threat.

When most of the team had left and it was only, Spike, Raf, Jules, and herself left, she found she wasn't as relaxed as she'd been earlier. She figured it had to do with less people being around as a buffer zone. Then the floor had been pulled out from beneath her. Raf commented about Spike flirting with the waitress while they had been playing pool. Thinking about it now made her stomach tie up in knots. She knew the man surely wasn't a virgin, nor a saint, but the thought of him spending time with a woman, whether sexual or otherwise was upsetting.

"Whoa, Winnie, push any faster and that bike is going to take off like a rocket." Ed Lane smiled towards her as he took a seat on the bike next to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah fine just doing some thinking."

"I pity the guy." Ed smirked.

Winnie removed herself from the bike and grabbed the water bottle in the holder and took a swig.

"I didn't mean to scare you off."

"You didn't, I have to take a shower and get to work." She smiled at team one's strategic leader.

****FP****

Winnie looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her and couldn't help but smile when she saw it was Spike. He continued to look tired but his smile was slowly making its way up to his eyes and that was reassuring.

Morning, Winnie," the tactical expert smiled while placing a plate of pastries on the dispatcher's desk.

"Courtesy of your mother I presume." She nodded at the plate of chocolate drizzled cannoli's tempting her.

"You bet."

"How is she doing?"

Spike shrugged his shoulders and Winnie noticed his eyes grow a little sad, "She's hanging in there, a little lost."

"Can any of us do anything for her, or you?"

"No, just eat what she sends." A smile once again spread across his face as he nodded at his mother's offerings.

"Okay, be sure to thank her for us and let her know she really doesn't have to."

"You see, Winnie, she does. That's what Italian mother's do; they feed their families and friends when faced with a stressful situation."

"Maybe that's the answer to world younger." Winnie joked.

The SRU member chuckled, "You think you're being funny, but you may be on to something. Do yourself a favour though."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Try not to eat more than two they're full of major calories."

"Thanks Spike. I don't know how you can eat this stuff daily and not weigh a tonne?"

"I'm immune." He smiled at his friend as he started to make his way to the locker room.

It wasn't long before informing team one, who was already on the streets, about a 911 caller phoning about a store hold up already in progress and putting the caller through to Sergeant Parker.

****FP****

The next two days proved to be a wonderful reprieve from the stressful weeks of work she'd just been through. Especially team one's days. The team was the best that the Toronto Police Force had to offer which meant they got sent out to the highest risk calls. One of the tamest calls in the last few months for them had involved a call to Chinatown involving a gangs "store protection racket." There had been other "routine" calls, but lately they all seemed kind of personal. Starting with the call involving the building bomb, while the call it's self wasn't personal, Spike had made it that way by insisting in diffusing the bomb and putting himself at risk.

Some of the other calls had proven somewhat traumatic for the team however, there'd been Donna's wedding. It should have proven a beautiful day, but of course hadn't turned out that way for the member of team three. Her new husband of only hours had been shot and Donna had become the threat in the end.

Winnie was proud she'd worked hard at her job and the brass had obviously taken notice. She'd been called into Commander Holloran's office the days earlier for her performance review. She'd been told she would be put on straight days from now on and would also be getting a pay raise. He'd told her he'd been pleased with her work in the last six months and so had the team sergeants. They'd all given her high marks on her performance review and more than one had commented on her ability to predict what they were going to ask from her before they had to ask, and not just themselves but each of their team members as well.

With this latest news she'd called her closest friends and planned a small gathering to celebrate. Which was why she currently found herself walking up and down the aisles of her local grocery store placing difference cheeses, crackers, and pates into her basket before heading to the deli to pick up some cold cuts, as it was her turn to provide the snacks and Lois' to bring the wine. She was looking forward to the gathering. These girls knew her better than anyone else besides her family. They were a small group but the four had known each other since high school meaning they could tell each other anything while not being judged or ridiculed for it.

Janice, the artist one of the group loved to hear Winnie tell stories about the SRU. Of course she didn't divulge any secrets or protocols regarding the police calls, mostly she talked about the teams and the kind of stuff that happened around headquarters. In the last eight to nine months she had to admit most of her stories had centered around team one and especially Spike and his high jinks. She loved his playful spirit; everyone could always count on his breaking a tension filled moment with a comical comment. The best part, in her opinion, was that his comments could be outright silly or almost slap stickish, or they could be very dry. He was just a funny guy and he always made her smile and laugh. She couldn't imagine what could be better than to have someone like that around.

Her upcoming new work hours meant she'd be working more closely with team one. They mostly worked the day shift, with the occasional evenings thrown in. This would mean she'd have to get used to the high risk level calls she'd been dealing with in the recent weeks. Like today for instance, Greg had become the target of revenge by a man who hadn't made SRU. He had blamed Greg for his failure to do so and gone to great lengths to get the SRU called to the stadium where he worked as a security guard. He'd taken the leader of team one hostage and nearly killed him. In the end, the man had taken his own life when Greg couldn't talk him down. Of course Greg was currently feeling guilty and was blaming himself for the man's killing.

So a night spent with the girls she was looking very forward to. Hopefully her roommate Stephanie would join them. She'd take the time to unwind before getting back to work on a new pay scale.

****FP****

Moments after most of team one had gathered back at headquarters after transporting a high risk prisoner to the court house, Winnie was in action.

"Hot call, hot call, shot's fired at the evidence depot."

"The evidence depot, who opens fire there, that place is like Fort Knox?" Ed asked as he came to stand in front of her desk.

"Reports say two uniformed officers. They're still in there."

"Still no word on Spike?" Sam asked.

"No, his mother hasn't seen him all day, and his cellphone's going straight to voicemail."

"Kay, track his GPS, Winnie, we need him."

"Copy that."


	4. Chapter 4

Minutes after the risk to Spike and Natalie was over Winnie began to feel her body reacting. Her mouth and throat were dry, she could feel a pounding starting in her head, and the contents of her stomach were quickly turning sour. Picking her cell phone up she sent a text to one of her fellow dispatchers she knew to be in the building asking him if he'd relieve her for a few minutes.

Moments later James came behind the desk, "Hey Winnie. You need to go home?" he asked.

"No, no, just need to catch a breather." She forced a smile towards her co-worker.

"Kay, take whatever time you need. Anything going on?" he asked while taking the earpiece from her.

'Nope, everything's quiet. Just team one out and their call is over. They're on their way back."

Winnie quickly made her way to the women's locker room where she quickly emptied the contents of her stomach. Afterward she went to her locker and grabbing a face cloth, her toothbrush and paste, she made herself respectable again and left the room heading to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water she drained half of its contents in one swallow before leaning against the counter taking in a deep breath. That's when she noticed her legs were shaking so she grabbed a chair, swung it out from the table and sat down. She couldn't believe the events that had just unfolded. Spike being held hostage, putting his life on the line for Sam's sister, working against the team yet in fact secretly trying to work with them without their realizing it, it had all been a living nightmare. At one point it had looked like four members of the team had met their end, thankfully that hadn't been the case.

****FP****

James looked up from his desk to see most of the members of team one walking towards his desk. Raf, Jules and Ed all walked into the conference room. Spike stopped in mid stride turning towards Greg. "Can I take a minute, Boss?" he asked.

Greg stopped beside the younger man placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sure, Spike, we're gonna wait for Sam anyway."

With that Spike went into the men's locker room. Greg walked towards the dispatch desk, "Hey, James, where's Winnie, she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she was feeling a little ill and asked me if I'd take over for a bit."

"Okay." Greg replied just as Jules approached.

"Hey, Boss, I'm getting water for everyone, you want one?"

"Sure."

"James, you want one?"

"No, I'm good."

"Kay, hey where's Winnie?" she asked.

"Needed a break."

"Little girl's room?" Jules smiled.

"Something like that." The male dispatcher smiled back.

****FP****

In the short time Winnie had been sitting at the table her shaking had become slightly more prominent. She sat looking at her hands and feeling her right leg bouncing up and down. She was so engrossed her in thoughts she didn't know Jules was in the room until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Looking up she saw her friend's concerned face looming over her.

"You okay, Winnie?"

"I'm feeling a little under the weather." Winnie replied knowing there was no way she was going to fool the perceptive Jules.

"What's wrong? Got a touch of the flu?" Jules asked but understanding something else was going on with her friend.

"No. Is everyone here?"

Knowing Winnie was asking about the team, Jules shook her head, "Everyone but Sam. He's taking Natalie home and then he'll come."

"Good, good. So Spike is okay?"

"Yeah, he's good."

Winnie lifted her head looking up at the ceiling and closing her eyes softly said, "Thank God."

Jules watched the other woman closely knowing this wasn't like her at all. Winnie was a rock. What had her so spooked, for lack of a better word? "Winnie, are you sure you're okay? Can I get you water or anything?"

"No," again the dispatcher shook her head, "Spike… I…I just need to see him." Winnie again spoke very softly.

Jules suddenly felt like she'd been hit in the side of the head. Spike, that's who Winnie had been talking about when she said she was attracted to someone at work! The person Jules had been pestering the other woman about for weeks. Each day she'd been guessing someone else without Winnie ever giving her a negative or positive response. _Spike could always make Winnie smile, he was kind and gentle. He has an expressive face, especially his eyes…_ Of course Winnie had been talking about Spike, how come she hadn't made the connection earlier? Realizing now how Winnie felt about her teammate it donned on Jules how the woman must be feeling at this very moment. Not only did she want to see Spike, she probably wouldn't feel better until she'd done so.

"Hey, listen, I've gotta go, debrief and all. I'll talk to you later, okay." Jules spoke gently then grabbed some bottles of water out of the fridge before leaving the room.

She quickly made her way to the conference room and was relieved to see Sam hadn't made it back yet. She also noticed Spike wasn't in the room. She placed the water bottles on the table, "Hey, Boss. I need to use the facilities, be right back." She didn't wait for a response but took off for the locker rooms. Reaching them she knocked on the men's door.

"Spike, are you in there?" She waited for only a short time before she received a response.

"Yeah."

"Are you alone?"

"Think so."

"Decent?"

"Yep."

"Okay, I'm coming in." With that she pushed through the door and saw her friend seated on the bench in front of an open locker, she assumed correctly that it was his.

She approached her friend quietly and noticed he held something in his hands looking down at it. She straddled the bench beside him and took a look at what he held. A picture of himself and Lew, she took a moment to swallow back her feelings before she placed a hand on Spike's back and slowly began rubbing small circles against his uniform shirt, contemplating how to approach this conversation. She finally decided that the quickest and easiest way to get Spike to act was to appeal to his sense of friendship and his ever present desire to help others.

"Tough day, eh?"

She wasn't sure he had heard her and was about to speak again when she felt his back rise and fall as he sighed. "I'm tired," was all he replied to her comment.

"I bet." Jules looked again at the photo in Spike's hands and knew he wasn't just talking about the normal tiredness they all felt when dealing with an emotionally charged call. Spike's fatigue reached far deeper. She felt guilty for what she was about to do, but if ever there was a time when Winnie could use some support from the team it was now, and she knew it could only come from their tactical expert.

"I know this isn't fair and if you want me to handle it I will, but someone could use our help right now and I think you're the best man for the job."

Jules found it encouraging when her friend looked towards her.

"Who?" Spike asked.

"Winnie." Jules replied.

"Winnie? What's wrong with Winnie?"

"She's a little upset."

"Why?"

"I think she took today's call a little harder than usual."

"Didn't we all?" Spike gave a sarcastic little laugh.

"It was a rough one. So, do you think you can talk to her?"

Spike took a deep breath, "Why me? I think I'd be the last person she'd want to see or speak to."

"Spike, you know that isn't true. I think you're the perfect choice because she was concerned about your welfare today. We all were. I know if I was in her shoes I'd like to see for myself that you're okay. I always feel that way about you guys when you're at risk. My adrenaline doesn't return to normal until I can see you for myself. Why should she be any different? Don't you feel that way about us on calls?" She asked knowing that of course they all felt that way about each other. She felt a little guilty at the thought that she'd never really thought about what the dispatchers went through during a call. Just as she'd just asked Spike, why should they feel any differently? While they weren't physically in the field with them, they were the seventh member of the team for each and every call they went on and they didn't get the benefit of seeing the team in one piece until they arrived back at headquarters.

"Okay, I'll go talk to her. Where is she?" Spike asked not letting Jules down.

"The lunchroom." She replied before spontaneously wrapping her arms around her teammate in an embrace.

"Thanks Spike. I'm happy you're safe and sound." Somehow Jules knew her friend was going to be okay when he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her firmly. He was probably going to have to process today's calls and that might turn out to be a painful experience but the team wouldn't let him down, they'd be there for him. As she was about to loosen her grip the door to the room opened and members of team three came barreling into the room.

"Oh… um…sorry," Tim Thompson said when he noticed the teammates from team one in an embrace.

"No problem, we were just finishing up here." Jules replied while Spike stood and replaced the picture of Lew and himself taken in Jamaica onto his locker door before closing it and leaving the room with her. They parted ways as she joined the team in the conference room and Spike walked towards the lunch room.

****FP****

Winnie continued to sit in the lunch room trying to pull herself together. It was odd, but since seeing Jules and having the other woman confirm that Spike was indeed okay, she seemed to be having an even harder time keeping her emotions in check. She still wanted to see for herself that he was okay, but at the same time, didn't think she could handle it.

The call and its events had been hard enough to deal with, but when she managed to get the transcript from Spike's phone calls that day she nearly died. There had been two calls, she'd only read one aloud to Greg, as the other hadn't really pertained to the case. They had both been personal in nature and despite the fact that she could look at the first one as giving her hope, it didn't. It was obvious from Spike's end of the conversation that Sam's sister was getting serious and Spike was backing off. It seemed Natalie wanted them to go away for the weekend and he said he wasn't ready. Perhaps that should give her hope since he wasn't involved with her the way some may have thought, yet what if she took the chance like Stephanie kept telling her to and he turned her down as well. She'd not only be heart broken, but humiliated as well as she'd have to continually see him at work.

Just as with Jules' entrance into the room before, she had no idea she wasn't alone in the room until she heard his soft voice, "Hey Winnie."

Her head quickly snapped up and she found herself looking into his dark chocolate brown eyes. He stood just inside the doorway, unlike most calls when the team came back to head-quarters; he wasn't wearing his flap jacket, just his regular uniform shirt. She thought momentarily how crazy it was that she'd notice such a small insignificant detail, but the bullet proof vest or lack of one had only served to remind her of the nature of today's call.

"Spike." She whispered.

"Jules tells me you're taking today's call a little hard." He continued to speak softly while walking further into the room.

Shaking her head she stated, "I'm okay."

"You sure, 'cause it doesn't look like it from my angle." He closed the distance between them until he was squatted in front of her chair looking up at her.

"Of course I am…" she looked away.

"Winnie, it's okay to get emotional, we're all human and sometimes these things can creep up on us."

She sat silently for a long time, trying to contain her emotions. The last thing she wanted was to fall apart in front of him. She wouldn't let him see her weak. The teams depended on her strength when they were in the field. She didn't want them to lose their faith in her.

The silence finally got to her, and anyone who walked into the room would surely feel the energy in the air. It sizzled from unspoken words, so she responded, "It was just so hard. I felt…felt so useless." She hic-cupped the last word which upset her even further. She wanted to remain strong in his presence but she was smart enough to realize that it was his very presence that was wearing her down.

"Sometimes that's the way it goes. Someone on the team feels like they should be doing more, but Winnie, you did your job today to the best of your abilities."

"How do you know?" she asked angrily turning to look at him.

"Because if someone, anyone on the team didn't, I wouldn't be here."

With those words spoken tears began to pool in her eyes and she once again turned away from him. _I will not cry in front of him. I will not!_ She demanded from herself.

Suddenly she felt his warm hand on the side of her neck just before the other one came across her line of sight and was placed on the cheek turned away from him. He gently turned her face to look at him.

"Winnie, please don't cry." He stated in a gentle tone before both of his thumbs wiped away tears that began to trickle down her face.

While feeling horrified she seemed at that instant to lose the capability to control her own actions. She reached up and touched her finger to his bottom lip. "Does it hurt?" She asked.

He continued to cradle her face in his hands and shook his head slightly, "No, once my adrenaline returns to normal I'm sure it'll be a bitch." He gave her a small smile.

"Maybe we should clean it." She found herself suddenly standing and he followed suit by also standing, her finger still gently touching the split on his lip where he's obviously been hit while being held hostage.

"Winnie…it's okay. It's stopped bleeding, right?"

She seemed to lose her voice; her throat was far too dry for any sound so she just shook her head in the affirmative.

"I'll be okay. I'm concerned about you right now. You're shaking like a leaf." He took the hand she currently had pressed against his lip into his while giving it a squeeze. "Are you cold?" he asked her.

"No…I'm okay."

"No you're not. Maybe you should sit down again." It was then she realized just how much her body was shaking, but she continued to struggle against her thoughts and feelings. Before she could stop herself she took her hand out of his and wrapped them the both around him as the tears now began to freely flow.

"I thought I was going to lose you." She held on more firmly as she spoke her words.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm okay, Winnie." She felt his arms close around her and she had to admit, even in her current state of upset, she'd never felt any better. His uniform shirt began to absorb her tears as his hold seemed to stop her shaking as well. She felt safe and warm in his arms.

They stood there holding one another for what seemed like an eternity and yet at the same time it wasn't long enough for her. Finally he spoke again, "Look, Winnie, I think we need to get you a blanket or something. Let's sit you back down while I get one, okay?"

She allowed him to gently place her back in her chair and then watched him leave the room. Her shaking returned immediately so she took her bottle of water and took a drink. She didn't wait long as he returned pretty quickly.

"Here," was all he said before placing the wool blanket around her. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks Spike." Was all she could say as she tugged the garment more closely to her body letting it do the job that only moments before his body heat had been doing.

"I need to get going we have a debrief that needs my attention. Stay here as long as you need to, I'll come check on you after." And once again he was gone.

****FP****

Spike let the door to the lunch room close behind him and leaned his back against the wall. What the hell else could possibly go wrong with this day? Sam's sister in trouble, his actions nearly getting four of his teammates killed, and Winnie's reactions. He'd made a bad choice today. He never should have gone to get Natalie by himself. Why hadn't he listened to his tuition and gotten Sam when Natalie had called him that second time. Sam would have known this David guy was bad news and the entire team would have gone to rescue Natalie. Perhaps his days as a police officer were over; maybe his father had been right all along. He should be an engineer for some big company bringing in six figures a year. Then perhaps the decisions he made wouldn't get people killed.

He pushed himself off the wall and went to the front desk where the dispatcher's worked from. "Hey, James, thanks for taking over for Winnie, she's going to need a little more time. Do me a favour though and have someone check in on her in a few minutes."

"Sure, Spike, is she okay?"

"I think she's suffering a mild form of shock. The day just caught up to her."

"No problem, consider it done. I hear it was a tough one. Glad to see you're okay."

"Thanks, James."

****FP****

As it turned out the team decided to hold off on their debriefing until the morning and it was off to the Goose for a round. Sam, wasn't going to come of course, he was going home to Natalie, to make sure she was okay.

As the team left the conference room Jules fell in stride along with Spike, "How's Winnie?"

Spike shook his head, "Not doing so well. I think she's in shock."

"Serious?"

"I don't think so, but I'm no medic."

"Are you going to check on her again?" Jules asked as they approached the dispatcher desk and Winnie wasn't present.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's doing much better by now."

"Why don't you invite her along with us? Maybe a nice stiff drink will do her some good. I know I could use one."

"Yeah, me too."

****FP****

This time Winnie was aware of the door opening when someone came into the room. Once again it was Spike.

"That was a pretty quick debriefing."

"We decided to wait until tomorrow. We're heading over to the Goose, would you like to join us?"

She thought about it for less than a second, "As long as no one minds."

"Of course no one minds. You feeling any better?"

"Much. Thanks for your help Spike, I'm a little embarrassed though."

She noticed Spike frown, "Why would you be embarrassed?"

"It was just unprofessional to fall apart like that, especially when I didn't even endure most of the hardship today."

"Hey, it was hard on all of us; none of us is here to judge how anyone else reacts in certain situations. Any number of reasons can make someone's reactions or emotions more intense to any given call. It could be because a loved one is involved, or someone you care for deeply, hey, not getting enough sleep the night before can have an impact on our emotions, so no worries okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, why don't you see if James can start his shift early and join us right way?" Spike smiled at her as she stood.

"Again, Spike, that's pretty unprofessional."

"Oh, and what I did today was? Screw professionalism right now, just join us and take a breather." He took the blanket out of her hands and draped it across a chair before he placed an arm across her shoulders. "Thanks for your work today by the way."

"Not a problem, anytime." She answered as the two walked out of the room and saw the members of team one waiting around the lobby in their civilian clothes already.

"Hey guys, why don't you head out and we'll catch up once we're changed. I'd also like to grab a quick shower."

"Sure." Jules answered for the team. "See you in what half an hour?"

"That should be good. You okay with that Winnie?"

"Yeah sure."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Taking Chances

Disclaimer: Again, as stated previously, I don't own them just take them out to play with every once in a while.

Pairing: Winnie/Spike

A/N: Again, a thank you goes out to those who have added the story to their update alerts in the last couple of days. To those who have following since chapter one, sorry it's taken so long to update. This is the first chapter that I hadn't started before posting the one prior. I also didn't seem to find as much time to write in the last week as I normally do. Hope you like this chapter. Not a whole lot happening, just trying to set up this eventual pairing. Enjoy, happy reading

Spike stood under the hot running water and willed his body to relax. There had been far more physical days at work, days when bomb blasts had thrown him to the ground, a day when his uniform had caught on fire causing him to throw himself on the ground and causing a minor burn on his back, gruelling days on the obstacle course, but today his body felt much more tired than any of the others. He knew the reason had more to do with the emotional turmoil than the punch to the face he'd taken. He supposed his struggle against being tied up added to his tiredness, but it was definitely the emotional toll that was wreaking havoc on his body now.

His lip was beginning to hurt as well. He knew it would, as he'd told Winnie, once his adrenaline began to return to normal levels. Truthfully, he just wanted to leave work, go home, eat a delicious home cooked meal, and crawl into bed, not join the rest of the team at The Goose. His body ached, his mind wouldn't stop racing, and his emotions were jumbled. He couldn't stop thinking about both Lew and his father. He had no idea why he couldn't shake either of their images; he hoped that once his body fell into a deep sleep he could escape both the images and his thoughts.

He'd already cleaned himself but continued to let the shower's water message his sore muscles. He knew he should hurry up as he'd promised the team he and Winnie would be along in only thirty minutes, he'd been wrong to suggest such little time. He hadn't realized how wonderful a shower would make him feel.

Winnie! With his brain functions returning to normal he couldn't shake his thoughts of her either. What had that been about today? She had been through a lot of traumatic times with the team. He couldn't think of a time when Winnie had had a breakdown. Not even the day they lost Lew. Sure when the team arrived back at headquarters he remembered someone, he couldn't remember who, mentioning that it looked like Winnie had been crying, but shit, they'd just lost a member of their team. He'd be surprised if she hadn't reacted; but today, today had been a successful call? As he'd told her earlier, he wasn't here to judge her reaction today it just seemed out of character for her. He couldn't help but wonder if something else was going on with her. What kind of stress could she be under in her personal life?

Finally he forced himself to turn the water off and step out of the shower. He quickly set about drying himself off, including a quick ruffle of his hair and putting on his street clothes. He sat down on the bench and tied his running shoe laces before closing his locker door and exiting the locker room. He found Winnie patiently waiting for him in her civilian clothes as well, he couldn't help but notice a smile spread across her face when she noticed him walking towards her. That was something he'd always liked about her, she smiled a lot.

****FP****

Winnie sat at the table beside Greg engrossed in a conversation regarding the cities proposal to install bike lanes along Richmond and Adelaide streets. It seemed all those involved in the conversation agreed it was a good idea. As she took a sip of her glass of wine her eyes met Spike's who was seated across the table from her. It was second time during the evening she'd noticed him staring at her and it sent a ripple through her stomach. She quickly turned away but immediately looked back only to find him still looking at her. She had no idea whether or not he was day dreaming or if he was actually staring at her. She sent him a small smile which he returned, confirming he was conscious of his actions. Again ripples fluttered through her stomach.

She tried to rejoin the conversation at the table but couldn't formulate words. Spike's gaze was unnerving to say the least. She had no idea what was going on with him but she felt she knew him well enough to know he was deep in thought and since she seemed to be holding his attention, she could only assume he was thinking about her. _Probably trying to figure out why you had a melt- down today. Great, Winnie, just great!_

They'd been in the bar for an hour and a half and Spike had barely spoken, perhaps said a handful of sentences all evening. She was on her third glass of wine while she noticed he'd knocked back one beer and had been drinking water ever since. She'd heard Ed tell his colleagues many times not to succumb to alcohol after they fatally shot a suspect. She wondered if the same advice was given to team members when they were involved in an emotionally trying day, there was also the fact that both Spike and Natalie had witnessed the point blank murder of someone today. That could be why Spike chose not to partake in more than one beer. Again she wished she could just talk to him, ask him what he was thinking, but she didn't feel close enough to do so.

At that moment the man in her thoughts stood, "I'm gonna head out guys, I need some sleep."

Everyone at the table looked up at him with varying degrees of acknowledgements and understanding. He did look tired. Most offered to drive him home but he declined everyone's offers.

Minutes after Spike left, Jules sat down in his vacant seat, "Hey, how you doing, Winnie?"

"Okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm tired though. I think I should get going soon myself."

Jules nodded her head, "I think we could all use a good night's sleep."

****FP****

When Spike arrived home the house he shared with his mother was dark and quiet. Only the light above the stove was on. Taking off his shoes, Spike noticed a note sitting on the stove top. The note from his mother informed him that she was at his sister's house and wouldn't be home until later and there was a warm plate of food inside the oven for him.

Once he'd eaten his mother's plate of baked Ziti Spike was more than ready for a good night's sleep. After washing up and brushing his teeth he peeled his clothes off and fell into bed. Within minutes he was sound asleep.

****FP****

Winnie walked into her apartment to find Stephanie sitting on their couch reading. "Hey, you go out after work?"

"Yeah." Winnie responded as she plopped herself on the couch next to her friend letting out a huge sigh as she did so. They sat in silence until Stephanie noticed a small tear trickling down Winnie's face.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Stephanie asked while placing a hand on her friend's arm.

The only response Winnie gave at first was a shake of her head. Stephanie respected her friends need to compose herself and sat waiting for several minutes.

When Winnie pulled herself together she told her roommate the events of her day. She told her about Sam's sister Natalie being taken hostage by an ex-boyfriend and his getting her to lure Spike to the house where he was holding her so he and his partner could force Spike into tapping into the Toronto's Police Depot so they could score drugs that were about to be destroyed. How the team had no idea where Spike was and how she been asked to find out if she could locate him based on his end of his cellphone conversation's during the day and how she'd been privy to a couple of private phone calls he'd had with Natalie.

How those conversations upset her because it was obvious that Spike and Natalie were involved to some extent. How Spike was putting the breaks on while Natalie was trying to push the snowball down the hill hoping to speed things up. How the team discovered where Spike was based on the second call.

How the team had been called out to the depot to try and resolve the armed assailants and realized that Spike was working with them from wherever he was being held. She continued to tell Stephanie about Natalie and Spike's eventual rescue and her reaction to it all. How she'd broken down in front of him and his reaction of holding her and how she wished he would never let her go. She told Stephanie about going to the bar with the team afterward and how she realized Spike was staring at her during the course of the evening and how it unnerved her.

After she'd finished the story Stephanie poured them each a glass of wine and told Winnie she should soak in a warm bubble bath. Advice she took and did feel much better afterward, but once she climbed into bed, thoughts of Spike returned and she had one of the worst sleeps of her life.

**FP**

A week later Spike found himself in the firing range with Ed Lane standing over his shoulder. He was the first person to admit he wasn't the marksman that most of the team was, but today he really sucked. He couldn't hit anywhere near the targets Ed was asking him to.

Much to his agony the whole exercise continued for an hour before the teams leader called it off. Today's most accurate shot was Jules, much to the chagrin of Sam. The team had already had an hour long workout, had been called out to an armed robbery, and had started the morning with a team meeting. When Ed suggested they use the rest of their shift however they chose, Spike made his way to the lunch room only to find Ed had followed him.

"Spike, you okay?" Ed asked.

"Yep."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Spike nodded his head then turned away from his leader grabbing himself a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"You're shooting today was one of your lowest scores ever, you sure you don't want to tell me what's on your mind." Ed decided he wouldn't phrase the sentence in the form of a question this time. Most people would look at the team's bomb expert and see a jokester and all round fun guy, Ed knew better. His years of having to size situations and people up quickly made him pretty good at reading people. Spike hid behind humour a lot. Many times when things or situations were bothering him he made jokes or pulled pranks on his teammates and members of the other teams. Many times the jokes and pranks were just that, but when they were accompanied by a quiet Spike, Ed knew he it meant his teammate was bothered by something. Spike hadn't been himself since the whole Natalie Braddock hostage situation.

Ed continued to stare his teammate down, not budging an inch. He watched as Spike used drinking the bottle of water as a stall tactic. When the younger man had downed the entire bottle and threw it into the blue recycling bin he tried again.

"Come on, Spike, talk to me."

"There's nothing to say, Ed."

"Spike, is this about Natalie?"

"No," Spike shook his head.

"Then tell me, Spike."

Spike sighed when he realized he'd been cornered by his leader and the older man wasn't about to give up. "It's Winnie."

"Winnie?" Ed couldn't have been more shocked if Spike had hauled of and punched him. "What about Winnie?"

Again Spike shook his head, "I don't know. Do you find her different lately?"

"No, different in what way?"

"I don't know, different." Spike shrugged.

"Not at all, she's the same ole Winnie we all know and love." Ed replied. "Maybe you should talk to her if you think there's something going on with her. Maybe she does have a problem you've picked up on and could use a friend's ear." Ed suggested.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe I'll talk to her." Spike answered and was relieved when Ed seemed to accept the conversation was basically over and left the room after giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

Spike followed him out of the room and went to his locker taking out a report he'd received the following morning about security updates the city planned to install in all the municipal buildings within the next two weeks. He took the papers into the conference room and began to study it.

Forty-five minutes later he gave up when he realized he hadn't even managed to read through the first page. His mind kept wandering to Winnie and her reaction to the call a week earlier. He wouldn't say she over-reacted, that was an unfair statement at best. She had a right to her feelings without being judged. It just seemed so out of character for Winnie to cry like that. He couldn't help but think he'd missed something, a clue perhaps as to why she'd broken down like she had.

The feeling had first appeared when he and Winnie had walked over to the Goose the night he and Natalie had been taken hostage and lingered all week long. It was frustrating. Logic told him he'd missed something, something Winnie herself had given him, but he couldn't figure it out. He was a cop for crying out loud; surely he could figure this out. What had he missed?

"Huh, Spike, could we have the room?"

He looked up to see the members of team two walking into the room, "Oh yeah sure." He grabbed his papers and cleared the room.

As he walked out of the room Sam caught his eye, "Hey, Sam, wait up." He called to his teammate and jogged up to him.

Sam slowed his pace accepting the knot quickly developing in his stomach was inevitable. His sister had gone out with Spike the night before for coffee and had once again come home a little upset. He wanted to give her the space he felt she might need but it was hard to know she was choosing not to confide in him.

"Can we talk?" Spike asked.

"Yeah sure." Sam replied while the two men walked into the men's locker room and stood facing each other just inside the door. "What's up?"

"Natalie… I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but have you talked to her about the chance she might need some counselling?"

"I've tried." Sam sighed.

"Don't get me wrong, your sister's a great person and I value her friendship, but she's called me about twenty times since last week. I've been doing my best to keep her fears at bay, but I'm not a professional, Sam."

"I know. A couple of times she woke up screaming in the middle of the night."

"That's understandable, she was held at gun point David obviously hit her before I arrived and she witness the cold blooded murder of David's partner, but she seems to think I can help her move forward. I don't have the tools to help her, Sam. I can continue to be a friend and listen when she needs to talk about it, but that's about it."

"I know… you're right. I'll try harder at convincing her she might need some help. Listen Spike, I know we briefly discussed this before and you told me you're not dating my sister, were you being honest?"

"Yes. She would like more than I can give but I've been very upfront with her, Sam. I'm not interested in a relationship with her, at one time I thought I was, but once I realized I'm not I didn't hide that fact from her. As I told her, and I know this is extremely cliché, but it's not her it's me. I don't think I'm in a place right now to give anyone more."

"Okay, I'm not sure she's truly heard that, Spike. Or maybe she's developed some sort of hero worship thing, because she talks about you a lot more since you guys were held by David."

Spike sighed, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say about that or what do with that information."

"Me either. I'll see if I can convince her to talk to someone. Thanks Spike."

"No problem."

****FP****

"Hey, Winnie, could you join us for a minute." Greg asked the dispatcher as he walked by her desk a few days later.

"Sure, boss." Winnie said while standing up and moving out from behind her desk and joining team one in the conference room. She was confused and a little worried. She'd never been asked to join any of the teams in a morning meeting before. She wondered if she'd made a mistake and was going to be made to apologize. She couldn't image that was the case. If she had screwed something up, Greg would have approached her privately.

Once the entire team had gathered, Greg asked them all to sit, including Winnie. Winnie looked around and noticed the others seemed calm which helped her relax a bit.

"I just want to say how proud I am of you all, we seem to have had quit a string of highly charged calls lately and I think we've proven the saying what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." He smiled.

Greg could see the squirming taking place within his team. He knew not a single one of them liked phrase for doing their job. They all felt it was what they were paid to do. He however, honestly believed they all needed a pat on the back, "And since we've been working so hard lately, I'd like to take you all out for dinner."

Protests immediately were thrown in his direction, he just held up his hands, palms facing his team. "Okay, just think of it as a regular get together only this time we'll go to a restaurant instead of the Goose and I'll pay." Greg smiled again at his team.

Looking around at the team, Ed Lane understood the protests that continued to fly, but also realized why Greg was offering this. Yes, they were just doing the job they were paid to do, but lately, it had been a rather difficult job and hell yeah they deserved to celebrate their hard work. Truthfully, many of them were lucky to be alive today. Actually every single one of them fell into that category.

Greg could have met his maker a few weeks back when a retired police officer wanted revenge against him. He, Sam, Jules and Raf had almost been caught by an explosion the day Spike and Natalie had been held hostage, and Spike himself had two close calls late. The day he'd been held hostage and the day he dismantled the bomb in a downtown building. Okay, Winnie had been safe and sound in headquarters during each of those incidents but she was a member of this team and deserved recognition as well.

Ed stood and came to stand next to Greg, "Okay, okay everyone. I know how you feel, but I think we should take Greg up on his offer, if for no other reason than to just get together for a nice relaxing evening."

With their two leaders forming a team against them, the rest soon caved into the idea and plans were made for a gathering at a local restaurant during an early day shift the following week when all could make it. It was decided that spouses or in the case of the unmarried members, significant others, a friend or a family member were also welcomed to join them. Greg told Ed to bring Clark along as well as he planned to bring Dean and Marina.

****FP****

Winnie sat looking at her cellphone sitting on her coffee table; in her mind she could here Stephanie telling her to call him. Seize the moment she'd said, it's a nice safe way to spent a little bit of time with him. One on one she'd said. She must have stared at the phone for a good half hour before she finally picked it up and dialed the number. With each number pressed more and more butterflies gathered in her stomach. She was about to hang up when the call was answered.

"Hey, Scarlatti here."

She hesitated slightly before responding, "Hi, Spike, it's Winnie."

"Hey, Winnie, what's up?"

"Um…well…my car is in the shop…" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before he replied.

"That sucks, you need a ride?"

"Um…if it's not an inconvenience?"

"No, not at all, I'm actually not at home right now. Is it okay if I pick you up when I go home to change?"

"Spike, if it's a problem…"

"Winnie, it's not a problem. I'm just out right now and just need to go home to change before going to the restaurant. I can pick you up, what's your address?"

"Kay, I'll swing by in about an hour, is that okay?" Spike replied after Winnie had given him her address.

"Sounds good, thanks, Spike."

****FP****

"Come in, Winnie, I may be a little while."

"I can wait here."

"My mom would love to see you."

Winnie sighed figuring Spike threw his mother into the mix on purpose. "Okay."

She exited his vehicle and walked to the side door of the brick bungalow entering into the kitchen with Spike. She was instantly assaulted with mouth-watering Italian aromas.

Spike turned to her, "I'll be as quick as I can. Have a seat."

"Michelangelo, is that you?" Winnie heard Michelina Scarlatti before the woman entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me, ma." Spike answered just as his mother walked into the room. "I have Winnie with me." He nodded towards Winnie.

"Winnie, how nice, please sit, let me get you something to eat." Mama Scarlatti offered the young SRU dispatcher in a heavy accented voice.

Winnie looked towards Spike with huge eyes he understood and came to her rescue, "We're not staying, Ma. We're meeting the rest of the team for dinner at a restaurant, remember? I just came home to change and Winnie needed a drive." Spike threw Winnie a warm reassuring smile. "I'll be right back." He said before disappearing down the flight of stairs to the basement.

"Still, sit Winnie. Let me get you a cup of coffee."

"Oh, don't put yourself out Mrs. Scarlatti." Winnie replied.

"It's no trouble. I always have a pot on for when my Michelangelo gets home. He sometimes has a cup when he gets home from work." Spike's mother took Winnie's hands into hers and spread Winnie's arms out to the side. "Let me take a good look at you."

Winnie figured with anyone else she'd surely feel uncomfortable, but Spike's mother had a way of making even the most outrageous gesture seem natural, even being looked over by Spike's mom, so she stood still while the older woman's eyes looked her up and down.

"I've only met you once, at Dominic's funeral, yes?" she finally asked still holding Winnie's hands in hers but bringing them down to her side.

"Yes, again, I'm sorry for your loss." Winnie replied.

Michelina let go of Winnie's hands and cupped Winnie's face with them. "Thank you, you're very kind. You need to put some meat on those bones though, though you are much more pleasing to the eyes in this outfit than in that terrible uniform." Her comment seemed odd until Winnie remembered she'd attended Spike's father's funeral in her uniform since she managed to get away in the middle of her work shift to attend.

"Are you sure you two won't stay for dinner. My daughter and her family are coming over for Veal Scampi." She let go of Winnie's face. "Sit."

Winnie smiled at the older woman, "It smells delicious but the rest of the team is expecting us." She watched as Spike's mother set about pouring them both a cup of coffee and placing a small tureen of cream, a sugar bowl and a couple of spoons onto the table.

She took a seat opposite Winnie, "Don't tell Michelangelo, but it's decaffeinated."

Winnie chuckled, "He has no idea?"

"No, but he doesn't need caffeine when he comes home after work. He would never sleep at night if he drank the regular stuff."

"Your secrets safe with me," Winnie winked at her hostess. At that moment she could hear the sound of Spike on the stairs.

"Ready." He said as he re-entered the kitchen. When he saw both women seated at the table he knew his mother had convinced his co-worker into at least a cup of coffee or tea.

"Sit." His mother told him.

"Okay, but I'm only having one cup, ma. The team's expecting us."

"They can wait." Mrs. Scarlatti scolded. "I'm having a visit with your lovely friend. I hope you minded your manners and told her how nice she looks."

"Ma…"

"Michelangelo!"

Winnie couldn't help but smile at Spike's obvious discomfort as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Why don't you bring over the plate of biscotti's?

Winnie watched as Spike picked up the plate as he passed them by on his way to the table. As he sat down he looked at her giving her an apologetic smirk. Winnie gave him a smile and watched as his hand automatically picked up a biscotti.

Later in Spike's truck Winnie sat looking out the side door window when Spike spoke, "I hope my Ma didn't make you feel uncomfortable?"

She turned to look at him, "No, she's sweet." Winnie smiled.

"Did she give you the once over?"

Winnie actually chuckled at the question, "Yeah, apparently I could put on a few pounds."

Spike groaned as he placed his head against the headrest, "I'm sorry…she sees any female who comes to the house as a potential wife. I hope she didn't offend you, 'cause you know, you look fine, no pounds needed." He gave her a reassuring smile.

A ripple fluttered through her stomach. "Thanks," was all she could say before she turned to look out the window once again. The rest of the drive to the restaurant was made in silence.

****FP****

Winnie placed her hand on the door to the restaurant and was just about to open it when Spike placed his hand over top of hers and applied a bit of pressure letting her no he didn't want her to open the door just yet. She turned to look up at him.

"I meant it when I said you look fine. As a matter of fact, tonight, in that dress you look…well…you look great."

"Spike…"

"You seemed to shrug it off when I told you in my truck so…"

"Spike, it's okay. Your mother didn't offend me and you don't have to make apologies."

"I wasn't making apologies, Winnie, and I'm not saying it because my mother thinks I should. You look great in that dress."

Winnie hoped he couldn't see how uncomfortable she was, "Thank you. You look pretty fantastic yourself." She smiled.

"Yeah, okay. Now let's go have a nice evening." With that his hand that was still resting on hers opened the door to the restaurant.

When they approached the long table where their friends were gathered she could see that they were last of the team to arrive for the gathering. The group was loud and drinks had already been orders as they sat on the table. Winnie's eyes immediately landed on the blonde woman sitting beside Sam. Natalie Braddock.

Their friends acknowledged their arrival and Spike quickly pulled out a chair for Winnie to sit. She hoped she thanked him, she couldn't remember as she couldn't seem to pull her attention away from Natalie as Spike took a seat beside her.


	6. Chapter 6

As Spike took his seat he made their apologies for arriving a little late, explaining how they'd had coffee with his mother before coming. Greg who was seated at the further end of the table insisted no apology was needed, right after the two were introduced to Melinda Sampson, Raf's date for the evening. She was seated to the left of Jules, who Winnie was happy to find herself seated beside as well.

A waitress appeared out of nowhere and offered to take their drink order. Winnie asked for a glass of house white wine while Spike ordered a large glass of draft. When the waitress returned with their drinks, she also supplied all with a menu. Winnie noticed Natalie immediately began to question Spike in regards to the Italian restaurants cuisine, which he dutifully supplied the answers to. She had no idea whether or not the other woman truly needed a menu lesson, but couldn't help but feel it was Natalie's way of grabbing his attention.

After everyone seated at the table had ordered their meal, individual conversations began once again, "So…you and Spike came together!" Jules commented.

"No, he gave me a drive. My car's in for repairs."

"Oh…still that's great."

Winnie gave her friend a questioning look before responding, "I was going to take the bus, but my roommate suggested I should ask someone since we were all coming to the same place."

Jules nodded her head up and down, "Sure, and Spike was the natural choice, this place is between yours and his."

"Yeah…listen I have to go the lady's room. You care to join me?" Winnie asked sternly giving her friend a frown hoping Jules would take the hint.

Continuing to nod her head, Jules just said, "Okay."

When the two women stood and grabbed their clutch purses, Winnie was a bit surprised when all the men stood as well. She noticed Jules rolling her eyes before the sniper scolded them all, "Guys, sit!"

The men did just that when the two walked away. When they entered the ladies room Winnie turned to her friend, "What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know…you're acting strange."

A smile Winnie wasn't particularly fond of broke out across Jules' face, "I figured out your secret my friend."

A knot tied in Winnie's stomach, "What secret?" She asked, not really needing too, she assumed when Spike had told her that Jules had told him she hadn't handled the call well the other day that Jules had figured it out.

"You're attracted to Spike, right"? Jules smiled.

Winnie stood looking at her friend; while she didn't want to lie, she also didn't want Jules to meddle.

"Winnie, I'm right about this, correct?"

Winnie sighed, "Yes."

"I knew it." Jules gave her hand a small pump in triumph. "Is your car really in for repairs?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, okay, don't get so testy, there's nothing wrong with a little strategy."

This time it was Winnie who rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jules asked.

"Do you ever stop being a cop?"

"Yes." Jules answered, but quickly re-answered under her friend's skeptical stare, "Okay, I try."

Winnie laughed before getting serious, "Jules…" was all she managed to say before Melinda walking into the room.

The woman stopped and looked between the two friends before asking, "Am I interrupting?"

"No." Winnie quickly relied, realizing her rapid fire response was in fact too quick.

"Right, I'll be quick so you two can continue."

"No, no, it's okay." Jules replied, "I was just helping Winnie out with… a man issue."

Winnie couldn't believe what her friend just said and gave Jules a gentle tap on her arm.

Raf's date giggled, "It's okay, Winnie, we all have man troubles eventually. You and Spike have an argument?" She asked.

"Me and Spi…oh no…we're not dating." She shook her head back and forth quickly.

"Oh…sorry…I guess I just assumed since you arrived together…I'm sorry. But I guess I don't have to be appalled any longer."

"Appalled?" The two other women said at the same time.

"Yeah, at Natalie, that's her name, right?"|

"Yeah." Again Winnie and Jules replied together. Jules continued, "Why would you be appalled at her?"

"Well, she shows up with Sam, yet gives all her attention to Spike, who showed up with Winnie." She shook her head with a giggle.

Jules smiled, quickly understanding how that could look to someone not knowing the dynamics. "I see, well you have it all wrong. Sam and Natalie are brother and sister."

Melinda placed a palm on her forehead and shook her head back and forth, "I guess I really jumped to conclusions."

"No worries," Winnie smiled and walked up to the counter running along a wall in the bathroom. She opened her purse and took out her lipstick, reapplying it.

"As for Spike and Winnie," Jules spoke, "They're not dating…yet."

Winnie whirled around, "Jules!"

"What?"

"Please don't…"

"It's okay Winnie, my lips are sealed." Melinda assured her while pinching her thumb and forefinger together and running them across her closed lips, pretending to lock them and throwing away an invisible key.

Winnie looked at her, "Thanks, so how long have you and Raf been dating?" Winnie decided to divert the attention away from herself.

"A year and a half." Melinda smiled.

"We should get back to the table or the guys are gonna get eyes in here." Jules piped up.

"Eyes in here?" Raf's girlfriend frowned obviously confused.

"Shop talk," Jules explained, "It's what we do when we get a mini camera into a room."

When the three returned to the table after re-applying their make-up, Jules prediction was on the mark. "Hey, there you are, we were just trying to decide who was bravo…"

Jules cut Ed off, "You always seem to think you're funny, don't you, Constable Lane?"

"Hey, I'm a rock star when it comes to bringing the funny." Ed smiled at her while lifting his arms up to chest level and spreading them out.

"Perhaps you should leave the funny to Spike." She replied looking towards Spike whose eyes were twinkling.

Winnie couldn't help but laugh when Ed's smile abruptly disappeared, "I can do funny."

"Really? I'd like to see it sometime." Jules retorted.

"Ha, ha." Was Ed's only reply.

By this time the entire dinner party seemed to be enjoying the two snipers barbs.

"Perhaps you should both leave the funny to Officer Scarlatti." Greg smirked at his two snipers.

Ed looked towards his friend, "Greg, are you suggesting…"

"I'm not suggesting anything, Ed…"

"Oh for the love of God, would you guys stop!" Sophie Lane interrupted. "Ed, Spike is funnier than you. Just admit it and move on."

Ed looked at his wife and then down the table towards Spike squinting while he said, "Thanks."

Spike smiled at his friend, "We all have our strengths and weaknesses, Ed."

At that moment the waitress returned with a few others and the party's food was quickly placed in front of them. Winnie along with most of the others at the table ordered another drink. Spike she noticed asked for a soda.

After the desserts, coffee and tea arrived, Dean Parker took a seat at the head of the table at which Winnie and Spike occupied the closest seats on either side.

"Hi, Winnie." He greeted while placing his dish with a slice of cheese cake on the table.

"Hi, Dean." She replied.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How does someone go about getting your job?"

"Oh…well…all you really have to do is have your grade 12, be 18, be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, and pass a bushel of tests."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What kind of tests?"

"Memory, vocabulary, typing, hearing, all kinds of visual tests and others, like hand eye-co-ordination." Winnie could see the worry in Dean's face. "Are you interested?"

"I think so. I've been able to watch you a couple of times and I found what you do very interesting, but geese, it sound's scary now."

Winnie smiled at the young man, "It's not. I get what you're saying though, going through all that testing wasn't fun, but the Force really has to make sure you have the skills necessary for the job. It's my job to help the teams in the field gather as much information as possible. It helps them make the correct decisions, or make quicker decisions, and sometimes can even help keep them safe."

Dean nodded his head up and down, "Yeah."

"Then after all the testing comes the interview."

Dean scrunched up his face.

"Exactly," Winnie chuckled. "I found that the hardest part."

"It was tough?"

"I thought so, but don't let all this discourage you if you're interested, Dean. I love my job and couldn't imagine doing anything else."

"You're a civilian, right?"

"Yep."

"But you get to wear a uniform." He smiled.

"Yeah, that's cool isn't it?"

"Sure is."

She looked across the table and saw Spike looking between Dean and herself with a smile on his face. _God he's sexy!_ She returned his smile before returning her attention back to the boss's son.

****FP****

While driving her home Spike asked her if she was tired and she answered no. He said he wasn't either and asked if she'd like to go out for a drink or a coffee somewhere. She answered coffee. That's how she found herself sitting at a cozy table for two with Spike at a very European style pastry bar. The kind of place that only served very strong coffee in ceramic mugs, not paper, where you sat down and were served by a waitress, where she was sure her coffee would cost her well over the regular dollar sixty that her local Timmies charged.

The atmosphere however she much preferred to that of her local coffee shop. Only Spike, she decided, would bring her to such a place. Since meeting his mother earlier at their home she understood significantly more what a European up bringing Spike must have had and how much it probably influenced his everyday life.

"I'm happy you chose coffee."

"Me, too. I noticed you only had one drink at the restaurant."

"I'm driving."

"I figured. Do you always stop after one if you're driving?"

"Always, I saw enough end results of drinking and driving while I was on the reg. force. Speaking of influences, sounds like you've made an impression on Dean."

She smiled, "I'm sure it's not me, it's the job."

"Don't sell yourself short, could be you."

"That's a nice thought."

"It is."

"So how did you come to be an SRU dispatcher?" Spike asked.

"I just kind of fell into it; I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school. So my parents suggested instead of going to University not knowing what I wanted, I should go to community college and just take a handful of general classes. See what interested me."

"So you did."

"Yeah."

"What kind of courses did you take?"

"Umm…let's see, creative writing, marketing, an announcing techniques class, a pastry class, and a police foundations class."

"Chef Winnie." Spike smiled.

"No, not at all."

"But police foundations caught your attention?"

"Yeah, that and the announcing class. They were both fun and I excelled at both."

"So you put two and two together."

"Eventually, but not right away, the following semester I loaded my schedule with police related stuff and broadcasting classes. Ultimately I found my strongest interest lie with all the police related classes."

"Yet you didn't follow it up by going to the academy?" he questioned.

"No."

"How come?"

"I didn't and still don't want to be a police officer. Guns scare me." She confessed.

Spike smiled, "Yeah, me, too."

Winnie laughed, "Stop teasing."

"I'm not," he chuckled. "Guns always scared me, not so much anymore. I quickly learned it's not the gun it's…"

"The person using it." Winnie finished the sentence with her friend.

"See, you know…prime example, I much prefer a gun in Ed's hands than in mine."

"You're teasing again." She said in a warning voice.

"Okay, I'll stop." Winnie noticed his eyes sparkled while he spoke which she knew that meant he was relaxed. "So, dispatching," he encouraged her to continue then took a drink of his coffee.

"Well, as my first year came to a close I noticed an ad in the Toronto Star regarding the department accepting resumes for some dispatching positions, and the rest as the saying goes is history."

"And that's that. You didn't go back to school?"

"Nope, sent in a resume, got called in for testing, passed a battery of tests, made it to the interview process and was called about three weeks later, they were offering me the dispatch course. I took it, passed and was hired on by SRU."

"You make it sound simple."

"It wasn't. Some of those tests can be difficult but the interview process was grueling. I didn't enjoy it at all."

"Did they give you the whole behavioural response, life experience type interview?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, that's hard. It's kind of instinctual to try and guess at what they want to hear instead of answering honestly. It takes self-discipline and a lot of self-awareness to relax and answer from your heart."

"Yeah, exactly. What about you, did you always want to be a police officer?"

"No." Spike shook his head.

"No?"

"No…wanted to be a chemist."

Winnie smiled at him, "of course, so how did that land you at the academy?"

"Eventually my interests fell into two categories, bombs and computers. I learned about the police department's bomb squad and new that's what I wanted. Went to the academy, passed, became an officer all the while waiting for a spot to open up on the bomb squad. Then, a few years back, there was a huge bomb scare. Some activist group had planted a couple of bombs at Pearson and the bomb squad and the SRU were called out, there was an article in the paper the following day about the SRU and its bomb techs and it hit me. I decided the SRU needed me."

"And the rest is history." Winnie smiled at him.

"Yeah, much to the chagrin of my parents, they kept asking me why I couldn't have a nice regular job like my sister."

"What does she do?"

"Teaches."

"Nice and safe."

"Kindergarten." Spike confirmed.

"You have any other siblings?" Winnie thought back to his father's funeral and couldn't remember any one other than his mother and sister.

"Nope. What about you?"

"Older brother and a younger sister."

"What do they do?"

"My brother, Tyrone, is a loans officer and Tif is in school."

"You're a middle child."

"Yep. Does your mother ever call you anything other than Michelangelo?"

"No."

"Really, not Mike, Michael, Mikey, or Spike, at home?"

"No, definitely not Spike. She says if she wanted to call me Mike, that's what would be on my birth certificate."

Winnie smiled as she could easily hear Mrs. Scarlatti saying those very words.

"Again, I hope she didn't make you uncomfortable today."

"Not at all, she's very sweet and kind. Very motherly, I can see where you get it from."

"Are you calling me motherly?"

Winnie laughed again, "No, I'm sorry, but you have a sweet nature, Spike, and you're kind and you have a very caring way about you. That's what I meant."

"Well, okay, that sounds better than motherly, 'cause don't forget, I carry a gun." He tried to give her a stern look.

"Oh…of course… you're very manly, Spike, very macho."

"Now look whose teasing?"

"I don't want to leave a bruise on your ego." She further teased.

The two continued to talk well into the morning hours, ordering another cup of coffee each and discussing a myriad of topics. Winnie about her brother and sister, she explained how Tiffany was in her first year of a nursing program at Seneca College. Stories about growing up in her middle class neighbourhood, about her friends from high school and how they still remained friends today, and ended up telling him how she'd recently gotten a pay raise and was given a permanent day shift.

Spike spoke about growing up with very Italian parents living in a Canadian city and having to marry the two cultures. He talked fondly of spending time with his father when he was younger. How they'd go to Maple Leaf Gardens a few times a year and watch their favorite team and players, how his dad would buy him hotdogs and pop and then tell him not to mention it to his mother. How as a family they'd go to the CNE every year and how his mother would watch when he, his sister, and their father went on the rides. Winnie could tell from the stories he told that Spike had fond memories of his family growing up and hoped these memories would eventually over shadow the bad ones.

"Oh god, its quarter to one!" Spike suddenly said when he looked at his watch.

"You're kidding!" Winning couldn't believe it. They had left the restaurant at ten-thirty. Where had the time gone? They both had to be at work in a few hours.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. We just lost track of time." He replied while standing and retrieving his wallet from his back pocket and throwing some bills onto the table.

Minutes later Spike pulled up in front of the old Victorian that housed Winnie's apartment.

"I'll walk you to the door."

"You don't have to, Spike."

"Of course I do." He replied while throwing his truck into park and shutting off the engine. "It's pretty dark out here, Winnie, you should install better lighting." He was looking up and around as they approached her door.

"Okay." She replied while retrieving her keys out of her purse. Once she had the door unlocked and slightly ajar she turned to him asking the same question of him she had asked Jules earlier in the evening, "Do you ever stop being a cop."

He shook his head, "Not possible," he answered more honestly than Jules had.

She looked at him, "Thanks, Spike. I appreciated the ride today."

"No problem," his eyes seemed to be boring into hers, "Make sure you lock the door." He continued in what she saw as his cop mode.

"I will. Good night."

"Night."

Winnie's stomach was twisted into knots. He kept looking at her and could have sworn his eyes at one point lowered to his mouth before looking back into her eyes. It was so brief she thought perhaps she'd imagined it. She opened her door all the way while saying, "Drive safe."

"I will…see you tomorrow…or later today." He corrected himself.

With that he slowly turned and walked away. _Oh God! What was that?_ Winnie thought as she stood watching him retreat before closing her door.


	7. Chapter 7

Spike woke to the most annoying sound of his alarm clock going off only hours after dropping Winnie off at her apartment. He lay on his back, in his bed, staring in the darkened room at his ceiling. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and go back to sleep. He had hoped when he woke this morning that he'd discover he'd just had a twilight zone type of dream. Sadly, that hadn't happened which just made him feel more exhausted, he'd managed only an hour or so of sleep. He tried to convince himself that it had to do with all the coffee he'd consumed the day before, but he knew differently. It was the thoughts of Winnie which had kept him from sleeping, or more accurately, his very male reaction to Winnie the previous day that had kept him from sleeping.

The day had started out like any other, but somewhere along the evening it seemed to feel like a date. He just didn't know when the change had occurred, okay, if he was honest with himself he knew the day had taken a turn the moment he saw Winnie. He woke at five-thirty, showered, dressed, had a bite to eat and went to work. He put in a hard day's work and then popped in to his friend Jeff's book store. He'd told Jeff he'd help him install his new digital security system once the store owner bought it. They'd agreed on yesterday being the day to do the install before Greg had offered to take the team out for dinner and everyone decided it was the most convenient day for their gathering.

He and his friend had been about halfway through the job when his cellphone rang. He contemplated ignoring it, believing it was probably either his mother, or Natalie Braddock, he was busy and didn't want either of the two to interrupt him. In the end however, guilt overtook his brain cells so he pulled the phone out of his breast pocket surprised to see Winnie Camden's name in the caller display window. For a split second he thought possibly the team was being called back to work, but then he remembered Winnie had had the day off.

It turned out she'd called him to ask if he could give her a ride to the restaurant that evening as her car was indisposed. Of course he agreed and thought nothing more of it. Explaining to her before he hung up though that he wasn't at home and it would be more convenient if he could pick her up on his way home to change before leaving for the team's dinner. She agreed.

He got directions to her place and was nearly blown out of his shoes when she opened the door of her apartment to him. The team had eventually given into Greg's choice of restaurant despite the fact that it would end up costing more than your local family eating establishment, but it wasn't quite a fine-dining restaurant either. So he'd expected everyone to be dressed sharply, but he'd had no idea how good Winnie would look. Her looks had taken his breathe away. She was stunning, from her head of soft beautiful loose curls to her covered high heeled toes.

Spike rolled over and slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock when it went off a second time and pulled a pillow over his head. He lay on his side, squeezing his eyes shut hoping to extinguish the image of Winnie from his mind. Moments later he groaned knowing his hopes were impossible when a certain part of his anatomy let him know any and all thoughts of Winnie Camden disappearing were useless. He swung his legs out of bed and sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

He thought back to her opening her door and groaned once more. His response then, as now, was purely hormonal, and took him by surprise both times. He saw Winnie practically every day at work, he chatted with her, joked with her, arm wrestled with her, and never once had he ever lusted after her. He'd always thought of her as a sister, just like he did Jules. He'd seen Jules dressed very womanly on occasions and had never once reacted to her in any way other than brotherly, but Winnie, well the thoughts and images that had immediately assaulted his mind were anything but brotherly; pornographic would be stating them mildly.

He remembered standing there in her doorway speechless, looking at her and hoping she wouldn't notice a couple of things. One, his utterly stupid blank stare that had surely taken over his face, and two being his rapidly growing, for lack of a better word, obvious male reaction to her.

The crazy thing was if he'd seen that dress on a mannequin or a hanger in a store, he wouldn't have given it a second glance. It was actually kind of simple, if he'd had to describe it in a report he'd say it was cream in colour, had a scooped neckline, long lace sleeves, hung to just above her knees, simple. But on Winnie, it was anything but simple, it didn't exactly cling to her body, but it was still obvious that she wore it well. Like a man in an expensive well cut suit, the dress didn't wear her, she wore the dress. At least he felt she filled it out in all the spots that most men would admire.

He knew this to be true because when they'd walked into not only the restaurant, but the café later in the evening, he noticed the way some of the men turned to look at her and hadn't liked it. That reaction took him by surprise as well. Why had he suddenly become protective of Winnie in a more possessive way? He'd never considered himself possessive when it came to relationships to begin with. What was he thinking? He wasn't even in a relationship with her!

His thoughts were so confusing because during the long hours of sleeplessness he forced himself to be honest and discovered that these new feelings towards Winnie hadn't suddenly appeared the day before, they had been creeping up on him for some time.

The day he'd gone to her in the break room and seen the turmoil she was feeling had unnerved him. He didn't like the fragility of her state and was angry with himself for having been the cause of it through his choices and actions that day, when she broke down crying and had clung to him, it broke his heart. He wanted more than anything to take her pain away. He'd also admitted to himself that he had wanted to continue holding her and absorbing whatever pain she'd been feeling for her rather than going to the debriefing which in the end they hadn't had anyway. He remembered being annoyed by that fact, because he'd left her alone to deal with her thoughts and feelings because of it.

The thought that had surprised him even further was how he'd compared holding her in his arms to holding Natalie Braddock in his arms. It was like comparing apples and oranges. Holding Natalie had had a brotherly feeling to it, holding Winnie had felt exactly the way a man holding a woman should feel. He could still feel Winnie's soft curves against his body, he could smell her shampoo and her body lotion or show gel, soap, whatever it was that made her smell so fantastic. The scent was seared into his memory banks. He couldn't remember what Natalie had smelled like and he'd even had a couple of make out sessions with her, he could remember the feel of her body against his in an embrace, but he definitely didn't have the same instinctual reactions to her as he had with Winnie.

Just like the previous evening at the restaurant, Nat was wearing a more revealing dress, nothing slutty, but definitely more revealing and yet none the less, no reaction to her physically. Winnie in her nice girl next door modest dress caught his interest. Although the shoes she'd wore screamed naughty, at least to him they did. The images they invoked made him groan once again. They must have been three inch heels and made her calves look fantastic!

When his alarm clock once again blared at him he decided to get up and have a very cold shower before having to face Winnie again. He hoped like hell his fantasies would be chased away by her sensible Toronto Police Force dispatcher's uniform, if not he was in trouble.

Much to his chagrin Winnie sitting behind her desk in her uniform didn't seem to help his fantasies at all. A flash of Winnie standing in her doorway at the end of the night raced before his eyes as he walked toward her. She flashed him a smile so he quickly averted his eyes and kept walking towards the locker room without stopping to talk to her. Seeing her sitting there brought back memories of wanting to kiss her goodnight. He'd almost given in to his want but knew if he kissed her not only would he probably ruin their friendship, but with the way he was feeling towards her, he wouldn't have wanted to stop with just one kiss. They'd been standing in the entrance to her apartment, how easy it would have been to suggest they carry on inside her apartment, then in her bedroom, and then in her bed! _God, Spike, stop it!_

****FP****

Winnie sat at her desk not only confused but also a little hurt. She couldn't remember Spike ever having ignored her like he just had.

She'd been so hopeful after the night before that they'd moved closer to the direction she'd been hoping to go for so long. Having shared stories of their upbringing, their families, how they'd gotten to where they were today. It had seemed so nice, so natural, so relaxed and she also realized about an hour after he'd driven her home that he'd had a very brief moment where he'd thought about kissing her. She was sure of it; she hadn't recognized it for what it was at the time, and could have kicked herself in the ass when she did. She would have encouraged him had she realized it at the time. Was he embarrassed? She hoped not.

"Morning, Winnie." Raf said as he passed by.

"Hi."

****FP****

Later in the day Jules stopped at her desk, "Hey Winnie, you able to take a small break?"

"Sure."

The two friends walked into the lunch room. "You look terrible, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn't get enough sleep." She replied before taking a huge gulp from her coffee cup.

"We purposely left the rest…" Jules stopped in mid-sentence, "How come you didn't get enough sleep, girlfriend? Does it have anything to do with Spike? He looks like hell today as well."

Winnie just stared a Jules finally sighing, "Yes," and quickly added when Jules displayed a huge hopeful smile, "but not in the way you're thinking,"

"Oh, then what exactly did you two do that resulted in such a lack of sleep? Want me to ask him?" Jules teased her friend.

"No, we just went out for coffee after leaving the restaurant and time quickly got away from us. That's all."

"How long did you stay out?" Jules asked.

"I got home at ten after two, I have no idea what time he got home." Winnie answered, guilt written all over her face.

"Don't worry about it, Winnie," Jules consoled her friend knowing Winnie was likely now worried about Spike and his lack sleep. "We all have sleepless nights now and then."

**FP**

Spike had never been so happy for a shift to come to an end. He quickly changed into his civilian clothes, grabbed his duffle bag, closed his locker and exited the locker room. While making his way towards the front door he knew he'd have to pass by the dispatcher desk and hoped Winnie wasn't sitting there. The thought made him feel guilty; he'd been doing his best to ignore her all day, trying to unscramble his thoughts and feelings. The only time he'd spoken to her all day was during a call, work related stuff over the earpiece only. No stopping at her desk and chatting and no morning greeting. Boy he thought, when did I turn into such a coward?

Just as he was passing her desk he remembered her vehicle was in the shop. How had she gotten to work today? He stopped in mid stride and closed his eyes, he was such a heel. He should have remember that fact and offered to give her a ride to work this morning. He hoped she didn't have to take the subway or a bus because that would have meant she would have had to get up even earlier? He was such a jackass. He deserved a smack in the back of the head. He took in a deep breathe, opened his eyes and turned towards her.

"Hey, Winnie."

"Spike." Was her only reply.

"How you feeling today?"

"Good, you?"

"Good. Listen, do you need a ride home?"

"I can manage, Spike."

"Winnie…"

"Spike…"

"Let me give you a drive." He interrupted her.

"I'm not off for another half hour."

"That's okay, I have stuff I can do."

"You really don't have to."

"I know, I want to," He smiled at her.

"Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the frustrations that resulted in the posting of the previous chapter, that being 7. As I explained to those who asked, I originally posted the chapter and everything went well. I got a couple of nice reviews even Then; I received a handful of PM's telling me there was no chapter 7! Low and behold when I looked, chapter seven pulled a Houdini and disappeared? So I reposted it only to find readers then informing me that the newly posted chapter 7 was actually chapter 1? Don't ask? I have no idea what the hell happened, what I do know, was I was wishing I could have asked Spike. Instead of taking hours it probably would have taken only seconds to fix the problem if I'd had his help.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spike went to the briefing room and began to read the city planned changes to its security systems once again. He knew he had to read it and understand the system before its installation; so he needed to buckle down and do his homework. He'd also received a report on a new firewall the RBC bank chain would be installing on their computer system sometime within the next month which he needed to figure out how to break through.

Then there was Babycakes, a couple of her components needed upgrading after he'd used her in the Kanisky bomb diffusing case. They'd arrived in the mail earlier in the day and he had yet to even take them out of the packaged they came in to make sure they were the proper pieces needed. Tomorrow, he promised himself, tomorrow he and Babycakes had a date if it turned out to be a quiet day.

He'd been absorbing the new security information relatively quickly when he suddenly heard Winnie's voice, "I almost lost you," She whispered.

He froze for a second then turned his head to his left and up and wasn't really surprised to find Winnie wasn't in the room with him; he knew the voice had been in his head. He looked further over his shoulder, and sure enough he saw her still sitting at her desk. When he turned his attention back to his papers he heard her voice again, "I almost lost you."

He felt as though he'd just been sucker punched in the gut. He remembered she'd said those words to him when she'd wrapped her arms around him that day in the break room. He looked out the huge window in front of him staring at the Toronto skyline for minutes before he turned and looked over his shoulder at her again.

She'd said "I" not we. That's what he'd missed that day, the clue he felt he'd missed! She personalized the call because of her fears for his safety and what it would do to her if she lost him, not if they had lost him! She hadn't been thinking in terms of the team at all. That's why she'd broken down that day, had taken the call so harshly. She'd been hiding her feelings for him and on that day she couldn't supress them any longer. _How long had she had these feelings? Wow! Is she really that good at hiding them or have I had my head buried that deep in the sand? Am I the only one who doesn't know about these feelings? I'm such an idiot!_ Resting his chin in his hand he shifted his behind lower in his seat and stretched his legs out under the table and once again stared at the skyline in front of him.

****FP****

Winnie walked into the briefing room and stood beside Spike for at least a minute taking in his appearance, he was deep in thought and had no idea she was there. His hair, as usual, was a controlled mess and she had to fight the urge to run his fingers through it. He had dark circles under his eyes, something that was rarely a part of his appearance. Even when he looked tired, dark circles didn't show. She supposed his olive skin tone could usually hide them.

Finally she sat down, "You okay?"

Spike looked at her, "Yeah," he nodded looking a bit stunned, "You ready to go?"

"Yep."

"Kay," he stood and began gathering his papers placing them into his bag. Once again she couldn't help but think he wanted to by anywhere else but near her. She fought the sad feeling taking over her thoughts and tried to act normal.

"Homework?" she asked.

"Unfortunately," as they started walking out of the room he continued, "I'm gonna go home, take a nice hot shower and go to bed. If I wake up I'll eat and study a little, if not, I'll be able to say in the morning that I got a good night's sleep." _Shut up, Spike, you're babbling._ He chastised himself.

She smiled back at him before calling out to her replacement, "Bye, Ben, have a good night."

"Thanks, you too, Winnie." He replied.

She and Spike continued making their way out of the building, reaching the front door he pushed it open and held it open for her to exit.

During the ride to her home Spike asked her when she'd be getting her car back, she explained to him it would be ready by noon the next day, so she'd pick it up after work tomorrow.

"You need a ride in the morning?"

"Spike."

"Winnie, it' just a drive."

"Oh alright, if it makes you feel better!" She was starting to feel an odd tension between them and it bothered her. She and Spike had always been able to comfortably and freely exchange words.

She noticed Spike chance a glance at her before returning his attention to the road when he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be okay?" Obviously he feels it too she thought, not to mention she could hear the tension in her voice, if she could hear it certainly he could. She was sounding bitchy.

He remained silent for a while then replied, "Forget I asked."

She sat looking out the passenger side window of his SUV. She wanted to apologize but didn't.

When they arrived at her home he pulled up to the curb in front of the house threw the vehicle into park, letting the engine idle he turned to her, "Winnie, I'm sorry about today."

"Why?"

"For ignoring you."

"Sure, no problem, don't worry about it."

"It was rude and immature."

"Spike, you don't need explain yourself, it's been a rough couple of weeks and you're tired, no worries." She smiled at him. She could tell there was something on his mind and realized that perhaps everyone, herself included, relied too much on his always jovial and merry spirit. They'd all grown accustomed to him picking them up when they needed it and keeping them going when things were down. She wondered who he relied on when he needed a pick me up? The name Lewis Young popped into her head; of course it had always been Lew who kept Spike grounded. She scolded herself for acting so selfishly, everyone was allowed to have off days; she shouldn't have taken his mood today so personally.

"We good?" he asked.

"Yeah," she smiled at him again, "thanks."

"Good, your welcome, have a good night."

"You too and try and get some sleep."

"I will. You want a ride tomorrow?"

She sat looking at him for a few seconds thinking she should tell him no, but figured he'd just push the issue, "Sure."

****FP****

Almost a week later Winnie was happy to be at work; the day after she'd picked her car up from the shop, she'd had two days off, then when she returned back on shift, Team One had two days off, she couldn't remember the last time that had happened. It had probably been months.

A parade of people was walking past her desk as she settled herself in with a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. Sam, Ed, Tim, Troy and Greg had all greeted her before she caught a glimpse of Spike walking her way. She sat up a bit straighter and smiled at him. How could she not? He was looking more like his regular self today. When he looked at her she was rewarded with twinkling eyes and a smile from ear to ear. No matter how many times she looked at the man she couldn't help but notice how good he looked. Today she also noticed he looked at peace with himself. That's what had been missing for weeks she decided.

"Morning, Winnie."

"Hey, Spike." She replied, "what'ca got there?" She nodded her head towards the box he held in his hands.

"Just stuff from home, need to take pictures of it, hoping to get some down time today so I can, putting it on Craig's List."

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks, how many other occupations do you think the employees hope for a slow day?"

"I imagine all first responders."

"Yeah." He replied while falling into stride with Ed Lane, she watched as the two men walked down the hallway and out of sight when they entered the men's locker room.

****FP****

About ten minutes after Team One was geared up, had a brief meeting and hit the road for patrols, Winnie was sending them to the Meadowview Institute after reports of a stabbing inside the secure treatment facility. Greg asked her to connect him to the doctor in charge. While she went about contacting Doctor Lavery, she noticed Ed Lane turned his communication device off and could faintly hear him asking Greg to do so as well. These things happened all the time, members of the team turning their mics off so no one else could hear them, their earpiece would still function so they could continue to monitor events happening and hear if anyone else needed their attention. As a matter of fact, the day Spike and Natalie Braddock had been held hostage, Spike and Sam had turned their comms off. She had never really thought about members doing such a thing until that day. Now, in hindsight, she was pretty sure the two had more than likely had a personal conversation in regards to Natalie. She couldn't help but wonder what was currently going on with Team Ones leaders.

Once she got in touch with the Doctor she knew she was interrupting a personal conversation but it wouldn't be the first. She also knew that both Greg and Ed would understand. She patched Greg through to the man and sat listening. Once Greg was finished with the man, the negotiator and strategic leader decided they weren't going to be able to talk this one down. Ed took over explaining to the rest of the team that they were going straight to tactical.

She sat waiting for the team to arrive at their destination. Listening to their tactical entries always unnerved her. This is what she had talked to Jules about that day, how the entire team could sound scary in the field. There was always loud shouting in a very abrasive assertive tone, a let's get down to business tone. She didn't like it, understood the reasons for it, but didn't like it. She knew if she was on the receiving end of their explosive entries she would surely do whatever it was they were asking of her.

Soon enough the team was on the fly and making plans on the go as she heard Ed say, "Sam and Raf, less lethal. Spike use sonic shield as a distraction."

"Copy that." Spike replied.

Ed continued, "Ear protection as soon as we're inside."

She sat listening, mostly to the sound of the muffled sirens of their vehicles. She knew they had reached the facility when the sirens shut off and there were obvious sounds off the SUV doors opening and closing. She continued to listen as they entered the building and given directions to where they needed to be.

"Spike, on my go, ready?"

"Yeah."

"Go." Ed immediately commanded.

With that the sound of the sonic shield blared through her earpiece, she heard the noise of doors being opened and sat listening to the commotion.

Ed was shouting, "POLICE!" and then something she couldn't quite make out. The shouting continued, "SRU…SRU!" and then what sounded like the thud of someone being hit hard. It made her wince.

"DROP THE WEAPON…DROP IT!"

Then the high frequency pitch of the sonic shield was gone and she could hear more clearly the actions taking place, despite the screaming now coming from the suspect.

"Sam, you got him?" Ed asked.

Just as Sam said, "Yeah," she could also hear Spike.

"You're okay, you're okay, you're going to be okay." She had no idea who he was talking to, the suspect, another patient, or a facility worker but it didn't matter, because hearing his voice helped bring her adrenaline levels down. She always worried about the team when she sat listening to their initial tactical actions. She knew they were well trained, had top of the line equipment at their disposal to help keep them safe, but still they were never really sure of what they were about to face. Most of the time the person or persons on the other side of the door were volatile and had weapons. She'd be lying if she told anyone she wasn't more concerned about one member's safety more than the others. That made her feel guilty of course. She always breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Spike, especially when he went into the part of consoling someone who was frightened.

"Subject secure." She heard Ed tell the boss.

Only to have Greg respond with, "Ed, we have a problem."

Obviously, she thought to herself, this call isn't over.

She did relax a little however when most of the team headed out of the facility looking for the escaped Charlie Alinack and Spike stayed behind safe and sound reviewing the security tapes. Her peaceful feeling didn't last long however when minutes later she heard Spike telling Ed he was mobile and heading south. Some days she wondered how she managed not to have a nervous breakdown when she listened to Spike in action. She just had to continually remind herself that he was a highly trained tactical officer with years of experience under his belt.

That was when she received a frantic 911 call from the Meadowview nurse with Alinack; she immediately told Sergeant Parker and patched the call through for the entire team to listen as the hysterical woman pled with the boss.

****FP****

An hour or so later she began to relax again, as she normally did when the team's calls came to a peaceful end. Moments later she sat frowning listening to Greg and Ed talking wondering if she should let the boss know his mic was still open. When she realized Greg was talking shop she let it slide but soon wished she hadn't, their conversation quickly turned personal.

"Hey, hey that was good work. And…uh…thanks for letting me know about Spike, I'm gonna talk to him."

"No you're not, you're gonna go home and put your feet up. Greg, you've got too much on your plate, let me have half."

"Eddie, you're worrying about me, you don't need to worry."

"You know why? You used to say that when you had a date with a bottle of scotch. So go home, I'll file the report."

"Now, I'll take that as a yes, go on." Ed said when the boss didn't respond.

"Kay thanks, Eddy."

She sat at her desk wondering what that conversation had been about. What did Ed tell Parker about Spike? And why did the Sargent feel the need to apologize to Spike? The conversation just helped reiterate how special she felt this team was. No matter what was going on in their personal lives, or between one another, when a call came in they put it all aside and concentrated on the publics and each other's safety. There was a bond between them she greatly admired.

One of the most fascinating aspects to these officers she worked with day in and day out was their capacity to go from full on Rambo mode, practically being on the verge of physical violence towards their fellow man and in the next moment trying to, and usually succeeding, in talking them down with a calm nurturing tone . Today, Ed Lane had done exactly that when he negotiated with the man Alinack had taken hostage. This was the type of call she really looked forward to the teams return. They had had a favourable ending and their mood would reflect it.

****FP****

A half hour before her shift was about to end Raf, Sam and Spike stopped at her desk. Neither, Greg or Ed was with them. Greg, she decided he must have taken Ed's advice and had gone home.

She also noticed Sam now carried the box Spike had brought into work that morning. She wasn't exactly sure but she thought they were talking about making some sort of homemade wine, though she couldn't be sure, as they were laughing and carrying on, their words not being the clearest.

When the three looked at her they just burst out into full on laughter. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, it was just the look on your face," Sam replied.

"We're heading over to the Moose, you gonna join us tonight?" Spike asked.

"Uh…sure," she answered while sitting back into her seat.

"Let's get our stash into your truck," Sam said to Spike while grabbing the box he'd placed on top of the tall counter at her desk.

Watching them leave she couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. It was always nice to see the team enjoying themselves, not carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.

"Hey, Winnie," Ed acknowledge her as he came to stand in front of her, still wearing his uniform. "You have today's file?"

"Right here," she took the file from her desk and handed it to him.

"Thanks, you gonna come to the Moose when you're done?"

"Yeah."

"This shouldn't take me all that long; I'll walk over with you."

"You don't have…"

"Maybe I'd like the company, or might just feel safer if I'm not alone," he smiled at her.

The only response she gave him was a smirk and a shake of her head.

****FP****

By the time Winnie and Ed arrived at the Moose almost an hour later, it was obvious the three team mates had already had a few drinks. The table they sat at was littered with empty beer bottles. They were being loud and boisterous as well. The minute she walked into the pub she could hear Sam and Spike's voices.

"Looks like we have some catching up to do," Ed said to her.

"I'm not sure it's possible." She smiled.

"Yeah, perhaps I should slow this train down."

"Maybe."

While Winnie continued to the table her friends sat at, Ed stopped at the bar to get the two of them a drink. As she got to her destination Raf greeted her, "Hey, Winnie."

She noticed Sam look over his shoulder at her and Spike look up. "Hey it's Winnie, Winnie's here guys." Spike smiled.

"Where's Ed?" Sam asked while Spike slid over on the bench he and Raf were sitting on.

"At the bar."

"Good, thought we lost him." Sam answered.

"Here, have a seat Winnie." Spike patted the spot next to him.

She quickly sat down turning to Spike, "You really should lower your voice, Spike."

"Really, am I being loud?"

"Yes, both you and Sam."

"Oh sorry." He replied greeting Ed who appeared just then. "EDDIE!"

Ed took a seat next to Sam and looked at his demolitions expert, "Spike, you feeling okay?" He asked as he passed a bottle of beer over to Winnie.

"Yep."

"Good, good, nice to see you smiling buddy."

"I think we should go see Jules." Spike said out of nowhere.

"No, she's not feeling well." Sam said.

"Maybe seeing us will make her feel better."

"I don't think so." Raf chimed in.

"I do. Jules is always happy to see me."

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow, Spike, maybe she'll be feeling a little better by then." Ed answered.

"I don't know. I can always make Jules feel better, get her to laugh. Who doesn't want to laugh when they're not feeling well?"

Ed leaned into Sam and asked, "How much have you guys had to drink?"

"Too many?" Sam replied honestly.

"Did some pretty quick drinking huh."

"Yeah, maybe too fast."

"Ya think?"

"So how was your day?" Spike turned to Winnie.

"It was good."

"Good. Any of the other teams have any crazy calls? Did anyone get to diffuse a bomb today?"

"Nope, no bombs."

"Good, good to hear."

Winnie couldn't help but laugh at the relief in Spike's eyes.

"How's the car?" he asked her.

"Good."

"It's running okay, no problems."

"Nope."

"Good to hear. We need to keep you safe."

"Spike, how much have you drank?"

"Possibly one too many, I'm not having anymore." He shook his head at the bottle sitting in front of him.

"How's your mom?" she asked.

"She's moving back to Italy." He picked up his drink and took a pull.

Winnie couldn't believe her ears, "Really?" She was so shocked by this news.

"Yeah, she still has brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins all over there. She wants to spend time with them."

"Oh, how do you feel about that?"

"I'm not sure really. But it's not about me, it's about her. If it'll make her happy to go home, then she should, right?"

Winnie noticed he lost a bit of the spark and buzz he'd had going and wished she hadn't asked about his mother.

"That's a pretty unselfish attitude."

He shrugged, "My parents came to Canada in the hopes of providing their future children with more opportunities than what would have been available in a small village in an Italian country side. That was pretty unselfish."

"Are you keeping the house?" she asked and quickly added, "Or have you even thought that far ahead yet?"

"Yeah I thought about it." He shook his head, "I don't want the house. She's gonna sell it."

"So you'll be moving."

"Yep."

"Given any thought to where?"

"Not really, more concerned about getting the house ready to be sold."

"If you need any help, just ask. I can lend a hand."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"My ma would like that. She really liked you the other day, keeps asking me about you."

Winnie smiled, "She's sweet, Spike. I liked her too.

They'd been in the bar a few hours when Ed spoke up, "Okay, I'm buying a round of coffee and then I think we should all head home."

Once the coffee had been consumed Ed started strategizing. "Okay, you three really shouldn't be driving."

"I can take Spike home." Winnie offered.

"Yeah, Winnie'll take me home."

"You good to drive, Winnie?" Ed asked.

"I've only had the one," She pointed at the empty beer bottle in front of her.

"Okay, Sam, Raf, you're with me." Ed said while standing.

****FP****

Minutes later Winnie found herself apologizing on the porch of Constable Jules Callahan's house. "I'm sorry, Jules, he insisted, was adamant about coming here."

"It's okay, Winnie. He usually ends up here when he's had a little too much to drink." Jules replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course she's sure. Jules always looks after me when I'm drunk. Right Jules?"

"I thought you weren't drunk?" Winnie asked.

"I'm not, but I'm cloooose." He smiled and when she smiled back at him he said, "You have a pretty smile."

"Spike…"

"I'm serious; don't get embarrassed, it's a fact."

"Okay, Spike, let's get you inside and to bed." Jules wrapped an arm around her friend.

"Okay, but no hanky panky, I'm sleeping in the guest room."

"I'll do my best to keep my hands to myself." Jules told him.

"Right."

"Come on Spike. Let's get you to bed." Jules turned to her female friend. "Wait here will you, Winnie."

"Winnie! Jules, Winnie can stay the night too." Spike said.

"No, Spike, I should get home."

"Oh…well that's too bad, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, see you then. I'll wait." Winnie turned her attention to Jules.

Although not feeling the greatest, she'd actually called in sick that day, Jules secured her uninvited guest into her spare room and quickly returned to Winnie who sat on her couch in the living room.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, we were at the Moose."

"You and Spike?"

"Well, Sam, Raf and Ed as well."

"Spike had a few too many."

Winnie laughed, "He claims only one over."

"Yeah, that's what he always says." Jules laughed. "So, he thinks you have a pretty smile."

"He's drunk."

"In that state people tend to forget their filters."

"Jules…"

"I'm just saying."

"Listen, I'm gonna go so you can get back to bed."

"Why don't you stay and have tea. I've been sleeping most of the day and could use some company."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, but only if you let me make the tea?"

"Okay."

Once the tea was made and Jules draped a throw blanket over herself the two friends talked about girly stuff until Jules asked. "So, Greg didn't go to the Moose tonight?"

"No."

"I wonder why. He's the one who tries to make sure we get together at least once a week for team camaraderie."

She noticed a look come across the other woman's face. "What, what is it?" she asked the dispatcher.

"I really shouldn't say anything."

"Winnie."

"Well, after the call was over today Parker left his mic on."

"And…" Jules said.

"And I overheard him and Ed talking."

"What did they say?"

"Jules, I really shouldn't…."

"Winnie…I swear it won't leave this room."

"It was odd. First Greg told Ed thank you for telling him about Spike. That he would talk to him. Then Ed said no you won't. He told him to go home that he had too much on his plate that he'd fill out the report. And…well...Ed also mentioned something about Greg having had dates with a bottle of scotch. It was just so odd; I never should have been privy to that conversation."

Jules sighed, "It's been a rough couple of months. As for Spike, who knows, it could be anything with him. I'm sure it's okay though. If something happened with Spike, I'm sure it's been resolved. Both Greg and Ed are pretty good about making sure everyone is doing okay. So don't worry about that."

"Can I ask you a question though?"

"Sure."

"You don't have to answer, cause it's none of my business…I've noticed that Greg doesn't drink alcohol and with the conversation today? Is he an alcoholic?"

Jules knew this was personal but also knew that while Greg didn't advertise it, he also didn't hide the fact that he was an alcoholic. "Yes." Jules answered her friend. "He's recovered."

"I had no idea?"

"Not something he's proud of."

"Yeah, I guess. Did you know Spike's mom is moving back to Italy?"

"Yeah, he told me last shift. I think he took it hard, but Spike has this amazing capacity to rebound. Sometimes." She quickly modified her statement.

"He's been acting a little oddly lately."

"Really," Jules frowned, "How so?"

"I think it's me. He sometimes acts like he doesn't want to be anywhere nears me."

"Didn't seem that way tonight." Jules smiled.

"He's drunk."

"Again, no filters when you're drunk."

"I really should go, let you get back to sleep."

"Okay," Jules yawned. "Thanks for looking out for him. Like I said whenever he's had too much he usually walks home with me and crashes here. It was just instinct for him to want to come here."

****FP****

The following morning Spike woke to the very confusing sound of banging. He knew it wasn't his head, yes, he had a headache, but this was a literal banging he could here. He slowly opened one eye and found himself looking at a very bright room. _Where the hell am I?_

"Come on, Spike. You gotta get up and get going!"

Jules…he opened his other eye and rolled over onto his back looking around the room that was definitely not in his mother's basement. _Right, I'm in Jules' spare bedroom. _He looked down at his fully clothed body, vaguely remember having falling into the bed the night before and having Jules take his shoes off his feet.

"Spike, you awake?"

"Yeah, yeah," he groaned.

"Can I come in?"

"I suppose."

The door opened and Spike watched his team mate walk into the room in a pair of cotton pajamas. "Here," she said while sitting on the edge of the bed handing him a mug of coffee.

Spike pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Thanks," he took the drink out of Jules' hand.

"How ya feeling?"

"Like I had too much to drink," he answered sarcastically.

"Yeah, what's with that?"

"Nothing."

"Okay Spike, we can dance around this for about half an hour or so, or we can cut to the chase now. The only time you ever get drunk and end up at my house is when there's something on your mind that you want to talk to me about."

Spike looked at his friend over the rim of the coffee cup he was drinking from.

"So?" Jules stared at him. "Is it your mom?"

"No."

"Well…"

"Okay, okay, I figured it out, Jules."

"Figured what out?"

"Winnie...how long have you known? Am I the only one who didn't know about her feeling towards me? Has everyone been snickering behind my back?"

"Of course not! I have no idea who else knows, Spike. The first night Winnie came to the Moose with us she admitted to me she's attracted to someone at work. She didn't say anything else. I pestered her for weeks trying to get her to tell me. The day you were held hostage and I spoke to her all she wanted to know was if you were okay? I put two and two together." She shrugged.

"So you sent me in there hoping I'd figure it out?" he stared back at her.

"Partially, I also knew that she needed to see for herself that you were okay, Spike. If you happened to figure it out, then what's the harm?"

"What's the harm? What if I'm also attracted to her?" he asked.

"Are you?" Jules asked with hope in her heart for her friend.

Spike didn't answer his friend for some time; Jules allowed him the time he needed to think about his answer. Finally he said, "Yeah."

"That's great!" When Spike remained quiet she said, "Isn't it?"

"I don't know Jules. My personal life is in a shambles right now. I'm grieving, Natalie Braddock is pushing me for a relationship I don't want, my ma is leaving, I have to get house ready for sale, need to find a new place to live, and now I have these feelings for Winnie, who as it turns out reciprocates."

"Maybe what you need is someone to lean on, someone to have some fun with."

"That's not really a very positive way to enter into a relationship."

"Well, that's true, but you and Winnie aren't strangers or acquaintances, you already have a foundation to build on. Your friends."

"There's also the whole working together thing. Not so much on my part, Winnie isn't out in the field with us, she's always safe and secure at headquarters, but what about her, Jules? She's in a position to jeopardize the priority of life."

Jules felt a knot grow in her stomach. She really couldn't agree with him under her own circumstances with Sam. Plus, Spike was right. The information Winnie gathered could sometimes prove critical, was it fair to put her in a position where she might hold certain things back hoping to keep Spike safe?

"Would it be fair for you to decide whether or not she could handle it?"

"It's not up to me or her to decide, Jules. It's written in black and white."

Jules sighed, how well she knew about that stupid rule that ate away at her practically every day. "Okay, you make a good argument, but Spike, if you and Winnie are attracted to one another I don't think anyone else should have a say as to whether or not you should be able to date one another or become intimate."

Spike closed his eyes; he just wanted to go back to sleep.

"When did you discover you had feelings for her?" Jules asked him.

"I'm not really sure. I think it's actually been a long time, but I was smacked in the face by it the night we all went out for dinner." He admitted.

Jules smiled, "Yeah, you guys kind of stayed out a little late."

"She told you," he asked?

"We're pretty good friends, Spike. She was concerned about your tired state the following day and feeling a little guilty."

"I told her it wasn't her fault."

"I'm sure you did. Listen, have you told her how you feel?"

He shook his head, "no."

"How come?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure it all out."

"You think too much, Spike."

He smiled, "Hey it's what I do, I'm the geek, remember."

"The geek with combat skills." She placed a hand on his arm. "Spike, take a chance, what do you have to lose?"

"Her friendship." He answered.

"Okay fair enough, but look at what you could possibly gain."

"I don't know, Jules. Like I said earlier, I'm a mess right now."

"Nothing a shower and good breakfast won't fix." She teased.

He smiled at her again, "You're not going to force me to eat greasy bacon are you?" he asked.

"You're such a girl." She laughed.

"I have combat skills."

"Of all the guys, Spike, you're the only one who ever shows up at my house for a chit-chat fest."

"I'm an intellectual." He countered.

She smiled happy to hear the teasing tone returning to his voice, "How did you ever make it to SRU?" she teased him.

"Every team needs a brain."

"A geek."

"A geek with combat skills and steady hands." He retorted.

"Steady hands!" She laughed.

"Yes!"

"Oh Spike, really?" she grinned.

"You think you snipers are the only ones who can control your breathing?" he challenged.

"Come on."

"I'm serious. Wasn't it you that mentioned the other day that Raf doesn't have the steadiest shot?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Well…next time a motion sensitive bomb needs diffusing perhaps we'll have Raf or Greg look after it."

She looked at her friend and nodded her head at him, "Okay, touché."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she gently slapped his forearm, "now get up, have a shower and I'll make you something to eat. You have to be at work in an hour."

"You're not coming in again?"

"No, I'm still not feeling the greatest."

"Yeah, about that, sorry I crashed here last night."

"It's no problem; you know you're welcome here anytime."

After he had a shower he walked into Jules' small kitchen. She made him sit down and have a breakfast and another cup of coffee, the two friends sat at the table while he ate and chatted. Before leaving for work, Jules made him promise that he would talk to Winnie about their mutual feelings. He promised he would.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Okay, okay, it's here, the moment you've all been waiting for, Winnie too :)

* * *

><p>The following day was Winnie's day off. She spent it cleaning her apartment, doing her laundry and watching some television. She'd made herself a baked chicken drizzled with a reduced balsamic sauce, green beans, and steamed rice for dinner.<p>

****FP****

Feeling stunned the team stood in the briefing room looking Greg's retreating back, none of them believing what had just happened. Was Greg serious, was he thinking of quitting? It couldn't be, he was their leader, everyone one of them to a man and woman couldn't imagine the team without Greg Parker. He was the heart and soul of the team. Slowly they all began to file out of the room and stood lingering around the dispatch desk.

The remaining tension in the air shot back up when Dr. Toth returned. "I almost forgot I have one more thing on my agenda. Constable Scarlatti, I'd like a word with you in private."

Spike looked at the psychiatrist with worried eyes and shot a glance at Ed.

The strategic leader turned to Toth, "Is there a problem?"

Toth turned to Ed, "If and when I need your help, Constable Lane, I'll ask for it." He turned to Spike again, "This will take just a minute."

"Okay." Spike followed the man back into the briefing room, once they were both inside Toth closed the rolling door.

Spike stood watching the other man wondering what he'd done wrong. There wasn't a single thing he could think of.

"Have a seat, Constable Scarlatti, and please, relax."

"That's a little hard to do when you keep calling me Constable Scarlatti." Spike answered while taking a seat.

"Okay, what would you like me to call you?"

"Mike is fine."

"Alright, Mike. It's been brought to my attention that you've been through a rough couple of months. Your father lost his battle against cancer and you and Sam Braddock's sister were recently held hostage at gun point and you were forced to work against your team. I'm just wondering how you're doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Mike, this isn't official, nothing you say here will end up in your file. I'd just like you to know that help is available if you need it. Have you talked to any of the staff psychologists?"

Spike looked at Toth trying to decide if he trusted the man. He begrudgingly had to admit to himself that the man had just said he liked Team One and he liked Greg Parker and trusted his judgement, that admission went a long way towards helping Spike open up to him.

"I have."

"Good. Has it helped?"

"Yes."

Toth shook his head, "is it ongoing?"

"Yes."

"I understand you've been called by the crown as a witness against the man who held you and Ms. Braddock hostage."

"I have."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Dr. Toth, I've been called as an expert witness many times."

"Yes, but purely as an expert witness, this time you'll not only serve as an expert, but also a civilian witness, a victim."

"The way I see it, there's not much difference. I was still an officer while being held. I was still on the job. I don't really think of myself as a civilian witness."

"But you will be; there will be hard questions that you'll have to answer, questions that will lead to emotional answers."

"I'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, Mike. I'm happy to hear you've reached out and you're willing to accept the help that's available to you. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me." Toth placed a business card on the table and slid it towards Spike.

"Okay."

When Toth stood to leave, Spike scooped up the card putting it into his breast pocket and followed him out of the room to find the rest of his team still standing around waiting for him.

"You okay?" Ed looked at Spike before turning a hard gaze toward Toth.

"Yep."

"Okay." Ed watched Toth's retreating back.

****FP****

Winnie had just finished washing her dishes, tidying her and had just sat down on her couch to what some television when her cellphone sitting on her coffee table vibrated letting her know she had text message. She picked it up and was surprised to find the message was from Spike.

R u at home?

Yes.

Can I stop by?

Yes, of course u can.

Be there in 5, u want a coffee?

Sure, c u soon.

Winnie sat looking at her phone for a few seconds before she bothered to even look at the time, it read 6:28. The team would have finished their shift almost three and a half hours earlier unless a call had kept them out after their shift ended. She wondered if he'd been at the Goose and was now on his way home. _He'll be here_ s_oon enough, you can just ask_ _him._

She sat waiting and wondering why he would be coming over, it excited her and made her nervous all at the same time. Then she remembered he hadn't asked her how she took her coffee and was reaching for her phone again when she remembered they had coffee together quite a bit lately and he was a pretty observant guy, he probably remembered, even if he hadn't he'd probably just get cream and sugar on the side. That's when she heard the knock at her door. Her stomach flip-flopped, knowing it was him.

She opened the door and there he stood; a large Timmie's coffee in each hand. She noticed right away that he wasn't smiling. "Come in." She pushed her door further open to allow him entrance.

He came into the apartment's small entryway and handed her the coffee in his right hand.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

"You okay?" she asked.

He looked deep into her eyes while replying, "I'm not sure."

Concern filled her as she led him into her living room. She motioned for him to take a seat and followed suit, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa from him, "hard day?"

"You could say that, yeah. Jules was injured." He blurted out.

"What? How? Is she okay?" Winnie felt sick with worry concerning her friend.

"She's gonna be okay," he sighed taking a drink of the hot liquid in the paper cup in his hand.

"What happened?"

"She was hit by shrapnel. Crazy day, Toth was in as well."

"Toth, what did he want?"

"He took the team off probation as far as Sam and Jules are concerned. But, I don't know, Greg's thinking of quitting."

"What?" Winnie sat shocked to her core.

Spike shook his head back and forth, "I have no idea; I'm a little lost. I have no idea what's going on. I mean, Toth took us off probation, told us he likes our team and that he trusts Greg's judgement, but Greg doesn't trust it. After Toth left Greg walked out, just left us all standing there, he won't answer his cell or his house phone."

"I'm sure it'll be okay, Spike. You don't have to worry about him."

Spike looked at her, "He's like family, everyone on the team is, and we can't just let him suffer out there alone."

"Spike, maybe he just needs a little time to himself. To think about whatever it is that's bothering him." Winnie put her own fears aside realizing Spike was taking today's events rather harshly. "Are you hungry? Did you eat?"

"No, I'm fine." He took a drink of his coffee.

"How do you know Jules is going to be okay?" she asked.

"The paramedics on scene said so, as well as the doctor that treated her. It was pretty hairy there for a bit. She lost a lot of blood plus she was breathing in toxic air."

"Sounds like a pretty tough call."

"Yeah, but hey, I don't want to talk about it. I'd really like to put it behind me for now."

"Sure, no problem, so where have you been?" She asked.

He looked at her again and frowned, "why?"

"You're still in your uniform." She nodded towards him.

He looked down at himself. "So I am. Haven't been anywhere but work; I guess when I decided when it was time for me to leave I just wanted to get out of there." He shrugged.

"So it seems, you sure you don't want something to eat?" she asked.

"I could eat." He quickly amended his statement when Winnie stood, "but you don't have to worry about it. I'll stop somewhere on my way home."

When she ignored his protests he reached out as she passed by and took her hand in his. Winnie stopped looking down at him with her heart racing, she felt it was pounding so hard within her chest that surely he could hear it.

"Spike," her voice was barely audible.

"Winnie sit," he gently tugged on her hand pulling her down onto the couch beside him.

"It's not a problem…" she protested, her heart pounding even harder when she realized he still held her hand in his.

"Shh, Winnie, stop trying to feed me, I don't want anything, and it's not why I came."

Winnie listened to him and stopped her babbling about trying to get food into him. She looked down at her hand in his. Suddenly she felt extremely self-conscious. She looked up into his face once again hoping to see his smile, she didn't. Despite the lack of a smile his face was soft in its appearance. His eyes however, seemed hard in their intensity, smoldering, he had the look of a man about to kiss a woman.

She watched as his eyes dropped from hers and watched as the tip of her tongue sneak out just a smidgen from her mouth and run along her still closed lips, wetting them a touch, then snuck back into her mouth, his eyes returned to hers.

"Winnie…" he practically whispered before he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Winnie's eyes immediately closed and she honestly wasn't sure if the groan she heard had come from Spike or herself. With her eyes still closed she felt Spikes warm hand come to rest on her neck. She remembered he'd made the same gesture that day in the break room when she'd been crying. She liked it; it had an intimate feel to it. She also couldn't believe how she could even formulate any thoughts while in a lip lock with Spike. When he finally came up for air her eyes opened to find he was still only inches away from her.

"I've wanted to do that for at least a week."

"I know."

"You did?" a smile slowly spread across his lips.

"Yeah," she confessed.

"It felt good, you have awesome lips."

Feeling more than a little self-conscious she turned to look away only to have Spike's hand reach up and again and stop her, turning her back to look at him, "Don't be embarrassed, I meant it as a compliment."

Winnie just stared into his eyes; she could fall into those chocolate brown eyes for days. She loved them. So she could understand his statement regarding her lips despite the fact that she had always felt they were too fat.

With his hand still holding her cheek he pulled her face close to his and again his lips met hers. They felt fantastic and were softer than she had ever imagined them to be. Suddenly, she felt his tongue against her lips seeking entrance, which she immediately granted. This time she knew the groan she heard came from Spike, as she not only heard it, but had felt its vibration as well. All the previous times her stomach had been assaulted with a case of butterflies was nothing compared to the flutter now attacking it; an overload of sensations suddenly hit her and she abruptly pulled away.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she barely managed to respond while nodding her head at him. "I guess…I…I can't believe we're doing this."

"Believe it, because I'll be awfully damned angry if I wake up suddenly from a dream."

She smiled at his remark and noticed it helped her stomach settle down. "Yeah, me too."

A long silence followed before she tentatively asked, "Where do we go from here?"

Spike took a deep breathe, "Not sure, I'd like to talk to Greg."

"What? Why?"

"We need to make sure we're not putting the team at risk. Your career…"

"Spike, don't worry about me, if you need to look out for your team, I'm okay with that."

"You're a part of the team."

"Okay," she gave in; something told her that Spike wasn't going to give up on this issue. The loyalty this team held towards one another was palpable. "You sure you're okay about today's shift?" she asked.

"No, not really, but I'll survive."

Winnie reached out and fingered the applet on is uniform shirt. She couldn't believe he was sitting on her couch having just kissed her, twice! When she looked into his face his eyes had that look again, this time she initiated their kiss. However, Spike quickly deepened it and slipped his arms around her, caressing her back.

She rested both of her hands on his shoulders. They continued this way until she heard the door to her apartment being opened. She pulled herself away from Spike and sat watching as Stephanie walked through the door.

"Oh…hi," Stephanie stopped in her tracks.

"Hey," Spike answered.

Stephanie walked further into the room, "Spike, right?"

"Yeah, Stephanie."

"Yep," she turned her attention towards Winnie, "Hi, I'm sorry I interrupted, I'll just head to my room."

Spike stood, "No, don't, I should really get home."

Winnie stood when Spike did. She felt like a five-year old who'd just been caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Yeah, well…still, I'll just go." Stephanie pointed towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms. She quickly exited the room.

Winnie walked behind Spike as he made his way to the door. She stopped when he turned to look at her, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She said just as he placed his hand on his hips, a stance she long felt sexy when he did it.

"Yeah," he nodded his head slightly.

"You know you don't have to leave."

"I should. I have a lot of packing to do."

"Right, I forgot about that."

"You still willing to help?"

"Absolutely."

"Kay, I'm going to take you up on that offer." He smiled then said, "Well…"

"Well." She countered.

Spike closed the distance between them and was once again kissing her. She felt his hand on the small of her back and gently pull her lower body against his. Now, this was definitely something she didn't want to end. She had to supress a giggle when her thoughts became cliché; she wanted to ask him if that was a gun in his pocket or was he just happy to see her.

"Bye," he sighed when the kiss finally came to end yet he continued to hold her against him now both hands resting on her back.

Drive safe," she said as he finally let go of her and turned to the door, opening it and walking out of her apartment.

Within seconds Stephanie re-appeared, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea he was here, you should have texted me."

"I didn't know he was coming so don't worry about it."

"But I interrupted…"

"Steph, it's okay." Winnie smiled knowing her lips were swollen from being well kissed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Kay…" thew roommates slowly made their way to the couch, "holy cow, when I met him at the mall he was cute, but man…that uniform…he's hot!" Stephanie used her hand to fan her face.

Winnie laughed, "You got that right! You should see him in the whole sh-bang."

"There's more?"

"Oh yeah…knee pads, gun and holster, Kevlar jacket. It's uber hot!"

The two roommates burst into laughter before Stephanie asked, "So, I was interrupting something, wasn't I?"

Winnie's only response was a nodding of her head while a huge smile spread across her face.


	10. Chapter 10

The Saturday following her too brief make out session with Spike, found Winnie in his presence outside of work once again. He'd asked her a couple days before if she was any good at painting, when she answered in the affirmative, he asked if she'd come help paint his mother's house. Most of Mrs. Scarlatti's belongings were out of the home as they'd been either sold, in a storage rental unit, or at his sister's house and some pieces had also been shipped to Italy. A few select pieces of furniture remained to help stage the house for what all involved hoped would be quick sale.

His mother he explained to her had moved into his sister's house the day prior, she was going to stay there until she left in a couple of weeks. He was going to remain in the house until it was sold and the possession day arrived. He still hadn't looked for a place for himself, his sister offered him a room in her home until he could find something but he turned her down. If need be he'd stay in a hotel until he found something, he loved his sister to death but there was no way he was going to live with her and her family for any length of time. He knew he had to start looking but just hadn't found the time yet.

The day after their kissing session she expected work to be awkward, but it hadn't been. He'd arrived with his usually smile and early morning greeting. He's stopped by her desk and chatted with her along with a couple of the guys from team two after he'd changed into that uniform she loved so well. Entirely too soon, Parker walked by calling out to Spike which Spike dutifully acknowledged and left her to attend his team meeting.

Returning to the present Winnie looked around Mrs. Scarlatti's living room. Spike and his brother in law Steve had gone on a Timmies run, Winnie found herself alone for the first time with Spike's sister. She found the other woman didn't look as much like Spike as she had expected her to. Her eyes were the same chocolate brown as his and they both had the same dark hair, but that's where the similarities ended. Her shoulder length hair was full of bounce and her skin tone not as dark in complexion and while Winnie found the other woman liked to smile as much as her brother, her smile didn't light up her entire face the way Spike's did his.

"I hope you don't mind Spike bringing me along today?"

"No, not at all, we could use all the help we can get, plus I always feel more relaxed about him when he has a woman in his life." Maria shrugged her answer and noticed the other woman squirm just a smidgen. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay."

"I mean, you and Mike are…I don't know how to say this?" she raised both her eyebrows in question.

"We've just begun dating." Winnie confirmed.

"How long has it been?" Maria asked.

"Not long," was all Winnie said.

"My mother mentioned to me that you work together, right?"

"Yeah, I'm a dispatcher."

"That's interesting. Would you consider coming and talking to my class sometime?"

"Umm…"

"I'm a kindergarten teacher."

Winnie smiled, "Spike's mentioned that."

Maria returned her smile, "Spike."

Winnie just sat looking at the other woman.

"Hearing that name always takes me off guard." Maria said.

"I can relate, hearing you call him Mike feels awkward."

"He's never dated anyone who's called him Spike."

The statement took Winnie a back. To her Spike was Spike. The only time anyone around headquarters used his given name was when he was being addressed in an official capacity or Ed would use it when playfully scolding him, sometimes Greg would use the name, but no one ever called him Mike.

"So, why would you want me to talk to your class?" Winnie decided to return their conversation to its original line of thought.

"Oh…I like to have people of different occupations come in and speak to the kids. It helps with their imaginations and kids that age love the firefighters, policeman, EMT's, I guess they have an affinity toward first responders, or perhaps it's the uniforms."

"That's understandable, especially the little girls." Winnie answered.

"I don't get it?" Maria replied.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, I see its effects every year though. When Mike comes in to speak to my kids they actually sit up straighter and take notice, pay more attention. So do my female co-workers, even the married ones. At the beginning of the school year they all ask me, so is your brother coming this year? It's weird."

"He talks to your class every year?"

Spike's sister smiled at Winnie, her eyes sparkling just like Spike's do when he's talking about something he's passionate about, "Yeah every year, you see, he falls into both categories, as a first responder and every year I also have each child bring in a parent, an aunt or uncle or perhaps a neighbour, someone in their life and that person talks about what they do for a living. Its fun and the kids always seem fascinated no matter what the profession is. Once all the kids have had their turn, I tell the kids my brother is going to come in and he's a police officer. They love it!"

"He does this every year?" Winnie asked again a little bewildered realizing that she didn't know much about Spike away from work.

"Yep, usually sometime in October on one of his days off, wears his uniform and everything. The little boys all want to touch his gun, his handcuffs and feel his Kevlar vest while the little girls just seem to get a dreamy look and giggle. They all seem fascinated by his ear piece though."

Winnie laughed.

"And like I mentioned, my female co-workers are the same, some of them are shameless, they come up with all kinds of dumb ideas as to why they need to speak to me or visit my class room while he's there. Or they'll make sure they're walking the halls when Mike is leaving as I'm usually walking with him which always leads to an introduction. Poor Mike, he knows what's going on and it makes him so uncomfortable and of course I tease him unmercifully for weeks afterwards." She giggled.

"Honestly, if he was someone else's brother and you saw him walking down the hall in that uniform, it wouldn't do anything for you?" Winnie asked.

"Are you telling me, it does it for you?" Spike's sister smiled.

Winnie smiled in return, "I'd be lying if I said it's not a turn on."

"Don't you see him in it all the time?"

"Every shift we work together." She confirmed.

"Does he know you're a uniform girl?" Maria laughed, "Has he worn it for you?" she raised her eyebrows with a smirk on her lips.

Winnie's eyes grew round as saucers, "Uh…umm…we haven't…"

"Sorry, it's none of my business, anyway," Maria shook her head slightly while raising one of her hands up, palm facing Winnie, "the last thing I want to know is about my brother's sex life. To answer your question though; I can't honestly say whether that uniform would do it for me. He's my brother, I can't turn that off. I have noticed that women have a greater response to his SRU uniform than the one he wore when he was on the regular force, plus, that uniform…" she sighed. "That uniform has been such a cause of strife within my family, sometimes I look at him in that uniform and hate it. Just hate it, everything about it."

Winnie saw the sadness in Maria's eyes and wanted to give the other woman an embrace. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. My parents, especially my father, hated that Mike is a cop. They were at such odds."

"I'm vaguely aware."

"Mike doesn't talk about it?"

"Hasn't to me, he's probably talked to someone. How do you feel about his line of work?"

"There's a loaded question. I'm proud of him. He's chosen an admirable profession for himself. Sometimes I think it's beneath his capabilities though, you know. He's just so smart. When we were growing up I hated his smarts. The other kids would always ask me why I didn't skip grades like he did, why wasn't I in the gifted program like he was?"

"Gifted?" Winnie asked.

"Oh yeah, his IQ is just below genius, you didn't know that?"

Winnie just shook her head no.

"So, sometimes I wonder what else he could be doing if he wasn't a police officer. Could he find the cure for cancer…Aids? Could he be figuring out world peace, you know?"

"He may not be solving world peace, but he keeps the peace in this city everyday he's at work." Winnie offered as a condolence.

"I know." Maria shook her head. "Like I said, I am proud of him. I think what he and his friends do is brave, crazy but brave. For the most part, I don't think about what he does at work. I prefer not to. I mean how many women can admit to her friends and co-workers that their brother who isn't in the military, is trained in and uses combat skills, diffuses bombs, has the authority to shoot to kill, I mean, it's crazy. The day my dad died, that was hard."

"I'm sure."

"I was sitting in the teacher's lounge, it was during lunch, when one of my co-workers comes into the room and switches on the television, explaining there was some sort of bomb scare downtown."

Winnie nodded, remembering the day well, remembering the worry she felt for Spike's safety.

"I could feel my entire body tense up right away. I knew there was a very good chance that Mike would be involved. I knew he was on shift that day, I mean, where else would my brother be while on duty and there's a bomb threat? I didn't want to watch, but I couldn't help myself. So there I was, at work watching a live report about a bomb diffusing taking place by the SRU!"

"It was on live TV?" Winnie asked not realizing television crews had been on scene.

"Yeah, of course I didn't know Mike was there for sure until I saw a shot of his boss. Greg, that's his name right?"

"Yeah, Greg Parker."

"They showed this shot of him, he was standing by a truck yelling. My heart sank. At that moment I knew my brother was putting his life at risk and I'll be honest, I was angry. At him, at his job, at whoever planted the bomb. Then they put a headshot of Mike in the upper right hand corner of the TV screen with his name underneath it. The news anchor was recalling the bombing that had killed Lew and how it was Mike that had been the bomb expert on sight during that call. It made me so angry! Mike feels guilty to this day about that day and Lew's death; why does the media have to continue to talk about that day every time there's a bomb scare in this city? Do they not realize how that must make him feel or Lew's family feel? The people involved shouldn't have to be slapped in the face with it over and over again."

Winnie had had no idea that that day's events had been playing out on live TV, the thought shook her a bit, but not as much as the mention of Lew and the announcement that Spike felt guilty to this day.

"By this time, lunch was over but I couldn't leave the room. One of the vice-principals had to take over my class. I needed to stay and make sure he was okay. I felt so helpless staring at the TV screen."

"I did too." Winnie admitted.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I was sitting at my desk listening on my headset to what was going on. I was angry too. At Spike, at Ed for not getting him out of there, at the bomber, so I understand. I was scared as well."

Maria shook her head, "Isn't that what they say, fear is the result of feeling helpless? Anyway, it was around this time I got a call from my mother, my dad wasn't expected to live much longer. So I left for the hospital. I went to my dad and visited him for a while. He kept asking for Mike. I lied to him and told him my ma couldn't get a hold of him. The last thing I wanted was for my dad to learn that Mike was remaining at work."

"Anyway, after my dad fell back to sleep I went to the sitting area and turned the TV on. The station was still reporting live. First they showed some man being lifted out of a shaft or something. He was unbuckled and paramedics started looking after him and the harness was sent back down. I remember tears running down my face when I saw Mike being lifted out of the shaft. I was so relieved."

"Me, too." Winnie again stated.

"As horrible as that day was, and still is, I learned something while watching that television set at that moment."

"What's that?" Winnie asked.

"I could understand Mike's point of view a little and the love he feels for his job. When he was lifted out of that shaft, his teammates all gathered around him. They were there for him. They embraced him, slapped him on the back, and ruffled his hair. There was support for him and the job he'd just done. They obviously cared greatly for him. Instead of anger and yelling, he was embraced affectionately after he diffused that bomb. At home…Mike never got that." He shook her head.

She continued, "So there he was, getting all this…I don't know…love, affection…and then he said something to Greg and took off running. The camera followed him until he got into the SRU vehicle and took off. I remember the announcer wondering where he was going. There was speculation that perhaps there was another bomb he was racing to, but I knew differently, I knew he was coming to see my dad. That's when I really had a good cry."

"It must have been tough to watch all that being played out."

"It was, but I was also crying because I was angry at my dad. Here he was laying only what…20 feet away from me, dying, and I was angry at him. Why couldn't he show Mike that kind of support? My uncle's death was so long ago, why couldn't he just let go of it?"

Winnie was confused by this last statement, "Your uncle's death?"

"Yeah…Mike didn't tell you?"

"No."

"Oh, our father's younger brother was a police officer back in Italy. He was killed on the job during his rookie year. Hadn't been on the force nine months when he was on patrol and stopped at a corner store to buy a drink. Walked in on an armed robbery taking place and was shot and killed."

"I had no idea…if it makes you feel any better; Spike is very good at what he does. I mean as a police officer he's considered one of the best in the city, like you say, he's smart. But at his specialties, demolitions, tactical info and knowledge, computer skills, he is the best. There's no one better. I know you're probably thinking I'm bias and I am, but I'm also telling you the truth, no one's better than your brother." Winnie felt the need to put some of the other woman's fears to rest and finished her speech just as Spike and his brother in law Stephen walked into the house carrying their coffees. Winnie smiled back at him when Spike looked at her smiling. He brought her a coffee and sat down on an up ended mail crate beside her.

****FP****

After having painted most of Michelina Scarlatti's home, Winnie found herself at Spike's sister's home for dinner. It was a warm and inviting three bedroom two story home. It sat in the middle of a family friendly neighbourhood and she enjoyed looking at the family photo's Maria had strategically placed around her living room. Pictures of her kids laughing, one of herself and Steve on their wedding day, what looked like was her parent's wedding photo, a picture of Spike on what looked like was his academy graduation which brought a huge smile to her face, he looked so young. Speaking of young, there was also a picture of Maria and Spike as kids, the picture was obviously taken during the summer months. They were both in shorts and t-shirts and Spike had a water gun, a pistol, in his hand. They were both squinting as the sun was in front of them. There were other pictures of people she didn't know, so assumed they were of Steve's family.

When the foursome has first arrived at the house they were greeted by Spike's mother who was looking after Spike's nephew, Michael, who she had met the day she was shopping with Stephanie and a three year old niece, Kaitlin. The minute the little girl saw Spike she came running. "UNCLE MIKE, UNCLE MIKE."

Spike squatted and the adorable young thing threw herself into his arms, he immediately lifted her up and put her on his shoulders. There was a lot of squealing and laughing during the next fifteen minutes or so while Spike played with her, mostly tickling her sides.

The evening progressed well. Winnie enjoyed getting to know Spike's family a little better and knew her feelings of being welcomed were genuine. Those feeling were confirmed a few minutes before she and Spike left. She'd been in the kitchen helping Maria with the dishes when Mrs. Scarlatti entered the room.

"Maria, I think that was you're best spaghetti sauce yet."

"Thanks, ma."

She turned to Winnie, "I'm so happy you came today. Thank you for helping Michelangelo with my home today."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Scarlatti."

The older woman came to stand right in front of her and took Winnie's hands into her own, directing her to sit at the small kitchen table. "You make my son very happy."

"It's easy to do; he has a happy spirit." Winnie answered.

"That he does, but you make it sing. Don't think I didn't see the looks you two have been exchanging ever since you arrived."

Winnie looked to Maria for help, but the other woman was putting dishes away with her back to them.

Mrs. Scarlatti continued, "I'm just sorry I won't get to know you better. I'm leaving in just a few short weeks, but you're going to make it easier, I know there will be a fine woman looking out for my son. Thank you."

Winnie nodded her head, "He's quite capable of looking after himself…"

"Yes, but he's stubborn, he needs someone who cares enough about him to make him slow him down when he needs to, rest, take it easy, and spent time with my grandchildren. They help relax him, too. Perhaps I'll have more grand babies soon?" She smiled.

Winnie's eyes sought out Spike's sister once again, this time the other woman was looking at her with a smile on her face and gave her a shrug before coming to Winnie's aid. "Ma, leave the poor woman alone, she and Michael have just started dating, you have them walking down the aisle and raising a family already, you're going to scare her off."

"No, I won't, Winnie's made of strong stuff. I hear it in her voice every time she calls me."

At that moment Spike walked into the room, "You ready, Winnie?"

"Yeah." She practically jumped to her feet watching Spike as he gave his sister a hug and a kiss on her cheek, then turned his attention to his mother.

"I'll come by after work tomorrow to visit."

"Okay." The older woman let her son embrace her then kiss her on the cheek as well. "Stay safe."

"I will." He replied turning his attention back to Winnie.

Winnie thanked her hostess for a wonderful dinner and told her she was pleased to meet her. Spike's sister reciprocated the words and suggested they meet sometime for coffee. Winnie agreed just before she and Spike made their escape.

"That was nice, your niece is adorable." She told him on the drive back to her place.

Spike smiled, "has me wrapped around her finger."

"Yeah, I noticed."

The two fell silent until they arrived at her apartment. Winnie invited him in and he accepted. Once inside she asked him if he'd like a glass of wine. The evening was still young, only seven-thirty. She had the following day off but he worked the six am shift.

They each settled onto the couch with their glass of wine. "What 'ca thinking?" Spike asked her moments later.

"Just how odd it is to hear people call you Mike."

"It is my name." he smirked.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just not used to it. Do you mind me calling you Spike away from work?"

"No."

"You sure, your sister commented that you've never dated someone who calls you Spike.

"I've never dated anyone in the police community before. It is a work nickname." He shook his head, "I really don't care one way or the other, Winnie."

"Okay."

The two sat for a while discussing a variety of topics while consuming their wine and soon were kissing again, this time however things heated up pretty quickly. Winnie nearly died when Spike's sought out her breast and caressed it gently. She instinctually arched her back and moaned while also letting Spike gently push her into a lying position on her couch. Spike's mouth left hers and began an exploration, making his way from her lips, to her cheek, and finally he began placing feather light kisses along her neck. She tilted her head to the opposite side giving him better access.

When she felt his thumb rub across her nipple she drew in a quick breath. "Spike." She moaned as it peaked under his caress.

"God, Winnie, you feel and taste fantastic." He groaned as she felt him position half of his body on top of hers. While allowing herself to completely enjoy the sensations Spike was causing her brain still had enough of its facilities to realize she could hear the sound of keys jingling in her the door to her apartment.

"Spike." She placed both of her hands on his chest and pushed him. He immediately stopped all his ministrations and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong? This going too fast?" he asked.

"No, Stephanie's home." She answered while he lifted himself off of her and into a sitting position.

Spike had heard the noise of the keys earlier but had chosen to ignore them. He placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward his head in his hands. "I'm really starting to dislike your roommate." He groaned.

Though she couldn't see his face Winnie could hear the teasing tone in that groan.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault.

Once again Stephanie walked into the room and stopped abruptly in her tracks. "I…I'm sorry. I had no idea you were home, I thought you'd gone out."

"Umm…I did, but now I'm home." Winnie replied silently thankful that she'd also managed to get into a sitting position before her roommate had entered the room.

"I can go." She looked from Winnie to Spike, who lifted his head up to look at Stephanie.

"No, we're good." Spike replied.

Stephanie feeling the tension in the room gave a smirk and quickly started for the door.

"No, Steph, it's okay." Winnie stood. "Please, don't leave on our account." She pleaded with her friend; she knew Spike would feel terrible if their situation had forced her roommate to leave her own home.

Stephanie nodded her head, "Okay, I'll go to my room." She quickly fled the room.

"Spike, I'm really sorry." Winnie turned to him.

"Winnie, it's not your fault." Spike stood. "I've gotta get up early tomorrow anyway."

"Right," nodded her head.

"Perhaps we should plan for this. On a night when we can, you know, be alone. Take our time."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"I'm gonna go." He tilted his head towards the door.

"Kay."

"Thanks for your help today," he said while closing the distance between them and taking her into his arms. A place she was quickly learning to love and feel at home.

"You're welcome. It was nice meeting your family." She placed her arms around his neck.

"Listen, are you off next Sunday?"

"As a matter of fact I am, why?"

"We're having our annual team barbecue; I'd like you to come?"

"Sure."

"Kay." He leaned down and kissed her. She moaned while running her fingers along the base of his hairline. He responded to her caress with a groan and deepened their kiss. When it came to an end he rested his forehead on hers. "I better leave or we'll soon be giving Stephanie a rather interesting show, right here in your living room."

"Have a safe day tomorrow." She chose to ignore his words as the fantasies it invoked were best left alone at the moment.

"Always." He said while letting her go.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Merry Christmas, Happy Hanahkuh, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year. Enjoy the time of year no matter what your beliefs. I want to take a moment to let a certain reveiwer know I very much apprecaite your reviews and encouragement but you have your private message ability turned off so I'm not ignorning you :) For those still following the story, thanks for you reviews and thoughts. It's fun to see how other's receive a story idea. Again, enjoy the season and stay safe, or should I say keep the peace!

As you may have noticed I've changed the rating for the story as well as things are starting to heat up a bit.

* * *

><p>Winnie looked up from her desk in the middle of a work day to see Raf and Spike walking down the hallway towards her, she couldn't help but think back to her conversation with not only Stephanie, but Spike's sister as well, about how awesome the SRU uniforms are. The two teammates had been outside the building working on repelling drills. The ropes and pulleys were still attached them giving them a sexy swagger. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Spike.<p>

While Raf continued walking towards the men's locker room Spike turned to his right walking towards the debriefing room. He looked to her with a smile on his face which she returned. He then disappeared into the room approaching Parker who sat at the long table working on files. Winnie continued to watch until Spike sat down; then returned her attention to team five who was out on a call.

"Hey, Boss. You have a minute?"

Greg looked up, "Yeah sure, Spike, what's up?"

Spike pulled out a chair and sat down. "I'm not sure if this is a good time…"

"I always have time for you, Spike." Greg smiled looking at the younger man.

"My ma leaves tomorrow so I was hoping…"

"Sure. Not a problem."

"I didn't even ask…"

"You don't have to, you want to see her off and we work the evening shift tomorrow. Take whatever time you need, when does her flight leave?"

"Five ten. I only need…"

"Spike, like I said, take whatever time you need. If you want to take the entire shift off that's okay, too."

"No, no, I can come once she boards the plane."

"Okay." Greg replied and returned his attention back to the papers sitting on the table before him.

"There's something else…again, probably not the best time…considering what's going on with the team and Jules and Sam…"

"Spike."

"It's about Winnie."

Greg turned from Spike and looked at the young dispatcher sitting at her desk and frowned, "What about her?"

"Uh…we've been seeing one another."

"Spike…" Greg closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair and sighed…, "how long?"

"Not long, nothing serious…yet."

"Has the potential though?"

"Yep."

Greg contemplated what Spike was saying. He turned once again to look at the young woman seated at the dispatch desk. At times like this he hated being the man in charge. He firmly believed that when two people had an interest in one another and wanted to explore their feelings further, that their employer shouldn't have a say in the matter. However, this occupation they all found themselves in was a different animal.

"Listen, I know the rules," Spike interrupted Greg's thoughts, "and I understand them. I'm not worried about myself here, Winnie's not in the field with us so there's no risk of me not following protocol, but it's a different story with her." Spike turned to look at Winnie who was currently speaking into her mic to whatever team was out.

"Yeah," Greg replied, "Spike, to be honest, of all the members on this team you disobey orders most often. So I don't think throwing Winnie into the mix is going to a big deal when it comes to you, you disobey orders all the time for your own reasons."

"Boss…"

"Spike, it's okay. I get it, nobody knows your skills better than you and nobody knows what's possible when it comes to how you use those skills, better than you. It's still a fact that you regularly disregard direct orders." Greg smirked at the younger man when Spike had the decency to look embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"Seriously, Spike, don't worry about it. I trust your judgement. Your latest ignoring of an order had me rather concerned however…"

"When?" Spike asked sitting up a bit straighter.

"The day you and Natalie were being held. I told you to stand down after you un-cuffed yourself and you didn't listen to me."

"Oh…that…"

"Yeah that. Spike…I wasn't happy with your choice at the time, but later upon reflection I got it. You were stalling for time; you were the one most intimate with what had been going on up until that point. Since you were off the radar I had no way of knowing what had led up to that point. You knew; you knew that the first person David was more than willing to kill first was Natalie. You knew you could deflect his attention so you did. You also knew that I would never have let him shoot you; I would have fired before him, I had your back. You're speech was a little unorthodox and perhaps a bit melodramatic, but it worked. You deflecting the attention away from Natalie is how it went into the official report."

"Kay." Spike replied sheepishly.

"You preserved the priority of life, Spike; Natalie came before me, yourself, or David. As it should have been whether or not you were involved with her, which at the time I believed was the case, but as far as the code, she was the priority." Greg could see that the conversation was making his demolitions expert uncomfortable. "Spike, you're a much better officer than you ever give yourself credit for."

"Greg…"

"You're the most decorated officer on this team, you do you know that, right? That fact doesn't lie. As for Winnie, something tells me that that young lady out there," he turned to look at her and pointed in her direction, "she would never disobey a direct order. She has far too much respect for authority and what we do to ever do that."

Spike contemplated that for a while remembering back to the day she'd broken down because he'd been at risk. Should he tell Greg about that day? As the Sergeant of the team he had a right to know the whole story, the whole of Winnie's feelings for him. Her feelings ran deeper than Greg probably thought. Sure, they're dating was relatively new, but not her feelings, or his for that matter. She'd just become aware of her feelings for him long before he had his for her.

"I am going to need to speak to her though." Greg said.

"I figured; it'll make her uncomfortable."

"I'll be gentle." Greg smiled at his teammate.

"I'm holding you to that."

"No worries, Spike, everything will be fine."

With that Spike walked out of the room and headed straight to Winnie's desk, patiently waiting for her to have moment.

"Copy that." She answered to whoever it was on the other end of her conversation. She then called a 911 operator and had an ambulance dispatched to the teams location.

"Hey." She looked up at him smiling. "How'd your drill go?"

"Good." He smiled, "tired though."

"What's up?" she asked reading a little worry in his face.

"Um… I spoke to Greg."

"Oh." She didn't have to ask him about what.

"He wants to talk to you."

She sighed a heavy breathe.

"Don't worry about it, Winnie. It'll be okay. Listen, I have to run, get rid of this gear."

"Kay."

****FP****

Hours later Winnie watched as team one returned from a call, all the members immediately went into the debriefing room and sat around the table. They remained in the room for almost an hour. She never really knew exactly what the teams did during their debrief, what she did know was that team one usually started by reading the transcript of the call through once, and then dissected it. Deciding if any other possible actions could or should have been taken? They were hard not only on themselves, but also weren't afraid to question one another's moves and decisions. They didn't take it personally; they just wanted to make sure their collective decisions as well as their individual ones had been correct. That was one of the reasons they were the best. No stone was ever left unturned.

When the team filed out of the room every one of them acknowledged her either verbally or with a nod of their head with the exception of Greg who remained in the room to write his report. Sidney had just taken over her position behind her desk to relieve her for a break. She decided to bite the bullet and get this meeting over with as soon as possible. The only thing that was making it even bearable was the fact that this conversation was going to take place with Greg. She trusted him to keep it professional and honest. The decisions he made every day on the job held serious ramifications, often times had life and death consequences. It was not only his duty but his obligation to all those on the team to make sure each member was performing at their best, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. He had to make sure this latest development between herself and Spike wouldn't put the team in jeopardy.

"You wanted to speak to me?" She asked as she walked into the room.

Greg looked up at her from his paper work and pointed to the seat closest to him, "Have a seat, Winnie."

She did as he asked and sat looking at him, her stomach in shambles.

"Spike spoke to me earlier today." His kind eyes looked into hers.

"Yeah, he mentioned it." She swallowed.

"Relax, Winnie, this'll be pretty much be routine, well as routine as it can be to have someone at work asking you about your personal life, plus I promised Spike I'd be gentle." He smiled at her. She smiled back and thought about how much Greg and Spike were alike. When each of them smiled it easily reached their eyes. She liked that and it helped ease her thoughts and fears.

"I don't mean to be intrusive…"

"I understand."

"You know about the priority of life?"

"Yes."

"You and Spike, it's kind of a grey area for a couple of reasons."

She noticed he stopped to just look at her again. She loved the man sitting before her like a father. He was so kind and gentle. She loved listening to him when he was negotiating, he could almost always find a connection with people. He always spoke to them respectfully, never judged them. She believed he would give her the same curtsey.

"First of all, the chances of Spike ever being put into a position to decide the fate of you or a victim are almost zero, not to mention you're a civilian. Which leads me to you, your position is more apt to find you having to make a decision that would break the priority of life because of your closeness to him.

"I…" she tried to interrupt.

Greg held up his hands, "Winnie, I know you're going to say you wouldn't purposely break the code and I believe you. That doesn't mean you wouldn't do it when in a crunch. However, this leads back to you being a civilian. You didn't take the same oath Spike did, so it technically doesn't apply to you." He smiled.

"Really." She couldn't help but let her relief show.

"That doesn't mean morally the code shouldn't apply, the information you gather helps keep the entire team safe not just him." he warned.

"Right."

"I'm not really all that concerned Winnie; you've proven over and over again that you can handle the difficult calls. I'm sure quite a few of them have proven almost impossible."

She shook her head, "Yeah."

"Like say, on a day when we were called to the evidence depot?" Greg's eyes bore into hers.

She briefly looked away but then returned his gaze, "Yeah, but we weren't involved then."

Greg ignored her last statement, "You know I'm available anytime you need to talk."

"Okay."

****FP****

Spike lay in bed unable to sleep. His inability to relax didn't involve the fear he held that Greg Parker just might be quitting the SRU. That thought was a scary one and one he'd managed to keep out of his head for most of the week. He didn't want to think about what would happen to the team if Greg did indeed choose to leave. He knew for him personally, it would be devastating. But his tossing and turning had more to do with Winnie.

Most of the week she'd worked the day shift, as she almost always did these days and he'd worked the afternoon shift. They hadn't really gotten a chance to see much of each other, as neither of their days off had coincided either; they only managed brief overlapping shifts at work. That had meant a lot of telephone conversations, which had been difficult. While she sat in the comfort of her home he'd had to have these conversations while at work, and finding a private spot was most times difficult. He'd found halfway through the week the best place was in the garage where he chose to work on Babycakes. Ed had actually teased him earlier in the evening that he must be more lonely than normal because he was spending a lot more time with his girlfriend, meaning Babycakes. He couldn't remember what he'd replied to his team leader. He certainly didn't tell him he was hiding in the basement garage so he could speak to Winnie in private; he had no idea how Ed was going to react when he found out the news. If he didn't know already, Greg and Ed kept very few secrets from one another, especially after Wordy had become ill. Only the fact that Ed hadn't sought him out for a private conversation concerning their only female dispatcher told him Ed was still in the dark.

As he lay on his back looking up at the ceiling thoughts of past girlfriends and lovers ran through his head. He hadn't been lying to Jules when he had told her he didn't do meaningless sex, what he hadn't said was there was a time when he had. Early in his career on the force he'd had many of very brief relationships, and even more one night stands than he wanted to think about. He reminded himself that he'd been young and had found out quite early what a police uniform could do for him in regards to women. When he replaced the Toronto police uniform with that of the SRU uniform it had become even easier to pick up women if and when he chose to. Eventually, the one night stands and very brief relationships had given way to more mature ones. That's not to say that in between girlfriends he hadn't had fun. Especially once he and Lew had become good friends.

He smiled as he remembered the many tube top patrols he and his friend had "volunteered" for. Greg would just shake his head and send them on their way. God how he and Lew had had fun, and not just while looking for women, but in everything they did. He missed his friend tremendously and he couldn't help but wonder what Lew's reaction would have been to his dating Winnie. As a matter of fact that thought brought him to recalling a conversation he and Lew had had when Winnie first started with the SRU.

It began while they were both sitting in the locker room discussing the newest waitress at the Goose who had offered her phone number to Spike.

"Man, I don't get it?"

"What's to get?" Spike asked.

"Why you get all the numbers. I'm the babe magnet."

Spike looked at his friend, "apparently not my friend."

Just then the door opened, "Umm, Spike, follow me." Greg Parker poked his head into the room.

Lew stood and walked out of the room with him, they found Greg standing at the dispatcher's desk with the young dispatcher that had started a few days prior.

"Yeah, boss?" Spike asked.

"It seems that Winnie's word processor isn't working properly, she thought perhaps I could ask someone from I.T. to look at it."

Spike remained neutral faced and replied, "I could have a look." He nodded his head up and down, "What seems to be the problem?" he crossed his arms in front of his chest as he turned to look at Winnie.

The SRU's newest employee looked at him with huge bewildered eyes shaking her head back and forth, "I don't know, but whenever I try to input anything, it types in my words from the right hand side of the screen to the left."

"Huh?" Spike nodded his head up and down.

"Imagine that?" Greg looked at Spike.

"Yeah, weird." Spike answered.

"It was working fine yesterday," the young woman mentioned.

"Huh?" Lew mimicked Spike.

"Huh?" Greg did the same as he looked again at Spike.

"I can fix it."

"I'm sure you can." Greg kept his eyes on Spike's.

Spike walked around to the other side of the desk, Winnie moving over to allow him access to the machine, "Lucky it's just your word processor, not, you know, your more important electronics."

"Yeah." She replied.

"Imagine that?" Greg said.

"Yeah, that's some lucky." Lew said as Spike quickly set about fixing the problem. It took him less than five minutes.

"There, should be good as new." Spike smiled, fully aware that Greg continued to look at him but chose to ignore the other man.

He had no idea whether or not Greg had ever clued Winnie into the fact that it was Spike himself that had meshed around with her word processor in the first place, as a joke, or if he'd kept that information to himself. As a matter of fact Greg never came right out and asked Spike if he'd had anything to with the processor not working properly, but by coming to get him to fix the problem, he'd let him know he knew it had been his handy work.

When he and Lew had returned to the locker room Lew asked, "You think she knows it was you?"

"Nah, why would she?"

"True, she has no idea yet of your reputation as the prankster."

"Think the boss was angry?" Spike asked.

"No, but there was no way he was going to bother I.T. with your prank, plus those guys probably would have taken hours to figure the problem out." Lew laughed.

"Yeah probably."

"So, you notice how cute she is?"

"Who, Winnie?"

"Yeah."

"Um…no not really, you have the hots for her?"

"No…but she's cute and those lips. They have to be the most kissable lips on the face of the earth." Lew replied.

"Why don't you ask her out?"

"Not my type, too sweet and innocent for me."

"What, you Donny Osmond all of a sudden?"

"Dude, he's the whitest of the white."

"So?"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, Spike, I'm black."

"NO. Hey what do I know; maybe you're the black man's Donny Osmond."

"Seriously she's perfect for someone like you when you finally stop tomcatting."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

Had Lew planted a seed that day? He remembered the next morning when he greeted the new dispatcher that he'd checked out her lips and Lew had been right. They had been perfect kissing lips. He had noticed her hair the first time he'd met her. Her hair had been down and these beautiful loose soft curls had framed her face. He had wanted to reach out and touch them, see if they were as soft as they had looked. Turned out he recently discovered that yes, those curls were soft to the touch.

He thought back to the vacation he and Lew had taken right before he had died. How he'd run into Bridgette, a girl he'd gone to high school with. They hadn't dated back then but had been good friends, ran with the same crowd. When he'd run into her in Jamaica they quickly fell into bed and he remembered how good the sex had been. He knew it had been because he had a connection with her because they had known one another for a long time. They'd promised to keep in touch once they arrived back in Toronto and he had meant it at the time. Then Lew died.

He couldn't bring himself to reach out to her. She'd called him a couple of times but he'd blown her off, he wasn't ready for any type of relationship. Then his life took a pretty big turn. He'd turned to drinking pretty heavily for a while, which led back to his using the numbers the waitress's at the Goose so easily provided him. He wasn't proud of those days, but they were what they were and those women had helped him in some perverse way deal with Lew's death in the only way he could deal with it until he was fully ready to come to terms with his friend's death and the role he'd played.

Greg had helped, he understood what was going on with him and had had many a serious talks with him. To this day he felt Greg had saved him from going down a very dark and lonely path. He'd brought him back to daylight. He remembered sitting in the Goose one night, having stopped at one beer and just observing what was going on in the bar, people drinking, dancing, playing pool and getting very inebriated. The new waitress who'd been waiting on them that evening had passed him her phone number earlier in the evening, that's when he realized a woman who had been working there for at least a year, Grace, was the only waitress who worked there who hadn't given him her phone number. It intrigued him. So he'd set out to get to know her and get to know her he had.

Turned out she was a single mom who only worked at the Goose every other week. She worked as a receptionist at a law firm during the day and worked at the Goose on the weeks she didn't have custody of her son. Soon they began dating and things had been going well until Ed had been shot. That spooked her. She realized she couldn't deal with the not knowing whether or not he'd be shot on the job, so she had quickly ended their relationship. He hadn't been all that upset about it, he'd liked her, liked spending time with her, but if she couldn't deal with his being a cop than it was best that they parted ways. He had enough stress and hassle in his life because of his profession; he knew that their relationship could never last the long haul if that was how she felt. She'd been the last woman in his life, either seriously or otherwise until now.

What would Lew think if he knew he and Winnie were seeing one another? Knowing Lew he'd approve but would more than likely go way out of his way to rub it in that he'd been right. Winnie was more his type than Lew's. Lying there in bed, Spike couldn't help but smile. He wished he could let his friend know how right he'd been, Winnie did have the most kissable lips and he couldn't wait to see her tomorrow.

Tomorrow was the annual team picnic. Winnie would be going with him. It was going to be their coming out as a couple. She was a little worried about it, she hadn't said so but she wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it either. He had no idea why she was so worried? Was it because they worked together? Was it because of their ages? He didn't know what her exact age was, but he guessed she was in her early to mid-twenties. Their age difference wasn't that big so he decided it wasn't that.

His sleeplessness, he knew, was also directly related to thoughts of the following evening. They had decided, since she had the day after the picnic off and he worked the afternoon shift once again, that they would take their relationship to the next level after the picnic. He was picking her up and together they would go to Toronto Island, have some down time with the team, then they'd come back to his place and spend some quality time together. They'd have the entire night to themselves and not have to worry about any roommates interrupting them since he had his mother's house to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thanks to Remington 700PSS for the beta. The story should have less errors with a second pair of eyes looking it over :) However, any and all mistakes continue to be mine. I'm afraid it's all I really own.

* * *

><p>Spike pulled his SUV into a parking spot next to Jules' jeep. Winnie looked straight ahead at the beach and saw many of their friends had already gathered for their barbecue.<p>

Clark Lane had his sister, Izzy, in his arms with Dean Parker standing and talking next to him. Sophie was standing talking with Melinda, Raf's girlfriend, while Raf himself stood talking to Ed and Sam who was seated at a picnic table. Greg stood in front of a barbecue with Jules at his side. By the looks of it one of them had just told a joke or funny story as they both were laughing.

Spike put the vehicle into park, killed the engine and reached over and took her hand in his, "You ready?"

She turned to look at him, "Yeah, I guess."

"You look worried."

"I am, a little," she admitted. Today was the day the team would learn she and Spike were seeing one another if they didn't already know. She had no idea if that was the case or not, but somehow had suspected most had no idea. She couldn't help but worry what their reactions would be.

"Why?" He furrowed his eyebrows together as she felt his thumb caress the back of her hand which he still held in his

"I don't know? Just…what will everyone think?" She looked back out the windshield towards the gang.

"Winnie, they're our friends."

"I know…it's just…I guess I'm most concerned about Ed and Sam."

"Sam?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you care what Sam..." Spike stopped in mid-sentence and turned to look towards their friends as well. When he turned back to look at her he asked, "Does this sudden onset of nerves have something to do with Natalie?"

She looked into his eyes and knew he was slowly figuring out her line of thought, she hated the sudden jealousy she was beginning to feel, she had visions of the tall blonde haired, blued eyed woman fawning over Spike at today's picnic and didn't know if she could handle it, or more accurately how she'd handle it.

"Winnie, Natalie's a friend, nothing more. You don't honestly believe I'd be spending so much time with you and getting to know you better if I was involved with her," he asked, a twinge of hurt in his eyes?

"No…it's just…" Winnie sat contemplating how much she should tell him, "Spike, the day you and Natalie were taken hostage, Greg had me pull your phone conversations on the auto trans-scripter to see if maybe there was a clue as to where you might be."

"Yeah, I know. I've read the incident transcripts."

"Yeah well, what's not in those transcripts was there were two phone calls."

Winnie could see the moment Spike had connected the dots.

"Spike, I wasn't snooping…"

"I know, hey, don't worry about it, Winnie, you were doing your job. I do appreciate you keeping that first call to yourself. I don't think Sam would have liked to have heard that one."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Spike nodded his head, "Sam wasn't fond of the idea of me and Nat."

"How come?" Winnie was surprised by this news. She was always under the impression that Spike and Sam were good friends, now she wondered if she'd been wrong.

"He thought it would be weird."

"Oh."

"Winnie, you have nothing to be worried about, our friends aren't going to give us a hard time." He kept the thoughts that Ed may have reservations and would more than likely track him down for a one on one, but believed his team leader would leave Winnie alone. He continued, "And as for Natalie Braddock, she's a friend, nothing more."

"Will she be here today?" Winnie asked, knowing she sounded like an insecure teenager and hating herself for it.

"I don't know," he shook his head and then very slowly a smile broke out on his face, "Winnie Camden, are you jealous?"

She chose not to answer him and felt very sub-conscious with his looking at her. So she looked down at their hands, he still held hers in his and his thumb continued to stroke her backhand.

"Hey," he lifted the hand she was looking at, bringing it up to her chin lifting her head to look at him, "Winnie, I'm serious, I'm not interested in anyone but you. You're the one I asked to come here with me today and you're the one coming home with me tonight." He leaned in and began kissing her.

Butterflies she thought would disappear once she knew what a kiss from Spike would feel like fluttered in her stomach. Her eyes instantly closed once their lips met, she felt his free hand tenderly take up its usual residence on the side of her neck. She placed one of her own on top of his and brought her other hand up to the other on the side of his face. She moaned when her brain thought back to his last words _you're the one coming home with me tonight."_

They had decided that tonight would be the ideal time to take their new found relationship further. They'd be spending most of the afternoon and early evening together at the picnic and then they planned on going back to Spike's place, or rather his mother's house. Mrs. Scarlatti had left for Italy earlier in the week and Spike was living there by himself until the house sold. He had no roommate that could walk in on their activities, plus she had tomorrow off and Spike and the rest of the team was working the afternoon shift, so neither of them had to wake up early in the morning either. The thought of their upcoming night together had her in a hypersensitive mode however and the kiss they currently found themselves in was pretty intense. It shouldn't have surprised her since thoughts of their upcoming evening were never far from her mind; the anticipation of it was killing her. She could honestly say that she and any of her previous boyfriends had never planned ahead for their first time; it always seemed to happen spontaneously. This was Spike however and she was quickly learning he was not your ordinary guy.

She jumped when she heard a tapping on the window on her side of the vehicle, "Hey, Spike, don't make me arrest you for indecent exposure."

When they parted she didn't turn around to look but looked into Spike's eyes. As she suspected they had that smoldering half hooded look. She continued to focus on those chocolate eyes because she didn't want to face the man who was doing the teasing just yet.

"Funny, Wordy, very funny. Don't you have something you should be doing?" Spike answered breaking eye contact with her for just a second before returning his gaze to her, "Sorry 'bout that."

"No problem." She smiled meekly.

He reached down and took her hand in his once more giving it a small squeeze, "You ready?"

"Not really, but I don't think I can sit here all day either."

"No you can't, come on." He said as he opened his door and let go of her hand.

Kevin Wordsworth and his family were gathered at the back of his mini-van parked beside Spike's SUV assembling their belongings. At the moment Winnie stepped out of the SUV Wordy came around from the back of the vehicles towards her carrying a cooler in his hands. "Winnie!" he said, the surprise on his face could not have been clearer.

"Hi, Wordy," She said as her eyes automatically drifted to the gravel beneath her feet. Much to his credit, she felt the ex-SRU officer recover from his obvious surprise quickly and smoothly

"Hey, it's great to see you! How've you been?" he asked

"Good thanks. You?" she asked as she looked back up to see him smiling at her.

"Good, sure do miss seeing you all the time though." his smile broadened.

She smiled back, "Thanks, the place isn't the same without you either."

Just then she could hear one of Wordy's girls talking to Spike who had also moved to the back of his vehicle getting out a couple of lawn chairs.

"Uncle Spike, you made it!"

"Where else would I be," he asked the young girl?

"I don't know."

"Did you bring your Frisbee?"

"Yep."

"Fantastic!"

Winnie looked at Wordy, "Uncle Spike?"

"The girls have always called him that, I guess you could say they adopted him." he shrugged.

"I should get helping," she said as she walked past him to the back of Spike's vehicle and grabbed the salad she'd made and a couple bottles of wine.

"Winnie!"

"Hi, Shelley." she turned to Wordy's wife, not taking it personally when she heard the same surprise in the other woman's voice that she'd seen in Wordy's face.

She watched as Spike closed his trunk and began walking away with Wordy's girls catching up to Wordy in the process, all four of them talking up a storm. She turned back to Shelley.

The other woman picked up their conversation as they began walking, "You and Spike, I had no idea?"

"We're pretty new," she explained.

Shelley smiled at her, "Well…this is a nice surprise."

Winnie couldn't help but smile back at Shelley thankful to have a positive response from her, especially since she, her husband, and their young girls had just discovered her and Spike necking like a couple of teenagers.

"Speaking of nice surprises I had no idea you'd be here today."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world. The girls look forward to this picnic every year." Shelley explained.

****FP****

As she sat talking with Marina later in the afternoon, Winnie looked around and smiled, the people, these friends, she was extremely grateful to have them in her life. They were a close knit group who had quickly enveloped her into their family unit when she first started working with the SRU. She saw them do the same with Raf and now with Marina and Melinda as well.

"Dean looks pretty happy and relaxed." Winnie commented.

"He's a great kid. He's had a lot to take in, getting to know his dad all over again, going to a new school in not only a new city, but a different country and having to deal with me as well. He's great. He's a lot like his father."

Winnie watched as the other woman's eyes sought out Greg. She too looked at the Sergeant, not wanting to think about what all of their futures held based on his decision as to whether or not he was going to stay with the SRU or decide to hang up his ball cap. For all of their sakes, she truly hoped he would choose to stay. Team one wouldn't be the same without him.

Ed had been correct during the team's last call when he told Greg that the firefighter needed him because he wasn't perfect, needed him because he did make mistakes. She had often felt while listening to Parker negotiate with the suspects that the reason he was so good at connecting with them was because he knew what it was like to reach a point in your life where nothing made sense and the only way to reach out was to do something outrageous, something these people would never do if they hadn't reached the bottom. It wasn't until recently she discovered he understood and connected with them more than likely by reaching into his own dark past of alcohol abuse. That may be a period of his life he wasn't proud of, as Jules had stated, but it was more than likely what made him so good at his job now.

Suddenly she felt somebody nudging her shoulder bringing her out of her personal thoughts. "So, I heard from a very reliable source that you were caught earlier today in a rather heated lip lock with Spike." Sophie Lane grinned at her.

Winnie looked at the older woman and sighed, "Is that a crime?" she tried to hold a straight face.

"No, no, no, but it is the juiciest gossip I've gotten in a while," Sophie raised her eyebrows up and down."

"You and Spike?" Marina asked.

Winnie sighed once again while looking between the two women.

"So spill it." Sophie smiled at her.

"Spill what?" Winnie was trying to stall so she could formulate her thoughts and words.

"Winnie, you know there's this code…"

"Code?" Winnie questioned.

"Yeah…when you're dating one of these guys you're not allowed to keep it a secret. You have to share."

"There's nothing to share."

Both Sophie and Marina laughed out loud at her statement.

"That's not what Shelly says." Ed's wife smiled, "Spill it, how long has thing been going on?"

"Sophie…"

"Winnie…"

She turned to Marina and asked, "Were you subject to this line of questioning?"

"No…but I was a virtual stranger."

"So?" Sophie nudged her again.

"I think I'd like to see the handbook."

"What handbook?"

"The rules of dating an SRU officer handbook."

"Funny, come on, how long?" Sophie asked.

"Not long."

"Like, how long is not long?" Marina asked being curious because she thought Greg and herself had the newest relationship amongst the teammates.

"Less than a couple of months…but…we haven't really had a lot of time together." she clarified.

"Oh, so when you say not long, you really mean not long?"

Winnie just nodded her head.

"Well…I'm happy for you, Winnie. Spike's a good guy, a sweetheart. Plus, anyone who has Ed's back is on the top of my list for finding happiness. If there's anyone who deserves a little happiness in his life, it's Spike."

Winnie watched as Sophie's eyes sought out Spike, "Something tells me, Winnie, you can make that happen." Sophie turned back to Winnie.

Winnie was at a loss for words, she had a lump in her throat. She'd been so afraid that her friends wouldn't be happy with her and Spike's blossoming relationship that hearing the exact opposite choked her up. She found herself embarrassed when tears gathered in her eyes. She should have known that the team and their significant others would only want good things for Spike. He was a well-loved, not just liked, member of the team.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sophie asked.

"Nothing," Winnie shook her head while dabbing at her eyes with her fingertips.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Spike told me not to worry. I guess he was right." she smiled at her friend.

"Why were you worried? Not at the possibility of our disapproval, I hope?"

Winnie remained silent so Sophie spoke again, "Oh, Winnie, listen…the bottom line for me is this… when everyone on this team has peace in their personal lives, I'm happy. I have this theory that when everyone is happy, they're stronger. I have no idea if it's true or not, but it's what helps me sleep at night, you know." She paused for a bit before adding, "What am I saying, of course you do, you more than any other spouse or girlfriend knows how important it is for these guys to have something to live for, to have one another's backs."

"Spike has been through a lot in the last few years. I know everyone on this team has been worried about him. Ed said he had a lot of reservations about Spike's mental state during that bomb diffusing a few months ago. He was concerned that Spike had lost his instincts at self-preservation. Hearing that of course scares me, if a member of the team loses that, they lose perspective which puts the entire team at risk. So I don't really care who anyone of these guys chooses to date or marry as long as they're happy and have a reason to walk away at the end of a call."

She continued, "The fact that a friend and very special person has caught Spike's eye is a bonus," Sophie smiled at her.

Winnie continued to be choked up but somehow managed to find her voice, "Thanks, Sophie that means a lot to me."

"And don't forget, Winnie, if ever you need to talk to someone, I'm available, it's not easy being with these guys, they live with a lot of ghosts."

"Thanks, I'll remember that."

"Good, now to the more important part," Sophie Lane grinned, "Tell me, what's Spike really like away from work, away from the guys, is he really all happy go lucky?"

Winnie couldn't help but laugh, "Pretty much. What you see is what you get," she smiled and her eyes landed on the man of their conversation. The team plus Wordy had gathered around standing in a semi-circle around Greg.

He seemed to be making a speech of some sort. He first turned his attention to Sam, then Jules, continued on to Wordy, Raf and then Spike, who she couldn't help but notice was the only one the boss had physically touched while he spoke to him. Whatever it was he'd said to Spike had touched him deeply. Spike didn't respond much verbally but he had a brief moment when he looked away. She knew from her own experience that when someone said or did something to her that she found overwhelming, she always had to break eye contact to collect herself.

She wanted to walk over and embrace him at that moment but she remained where she was. The moment was obviously a team moment not to be interrupted. At that moment, Greg turned and walked away with Ed following close behind soon after.

The two leaders talked for a while with the rest of the team remaining where they were, at this point, Melinda who had had Izzy in her arms brought the young child back to her mother. Sophie took her in her arms and sat down on the picnic table bench behind them, as did Winnie. She continued to watch as Ed turned around to face the rest of the team with a huge smile on his face and ripping a piece of paper to shreds. The rest of the team smiled along and she couldn't help but notice they also looked relieved.

Within minutes Spike was walking towards them with a smile on his face, before turning his attention to Izzy he gave Winnie one of his thousand watt smiles. "Hey, I haven't had any one on one time with her today," he said to Sophie while looking at the little girl in her arms.

Sophie turned Izzy around so she was looking her baby daughter in the face, "You want to see Uncle Spike?" she questioned. Izzy just smiled reaching out to put her little hand on her mother's mouth. Sophie lifted the little girl up and into Spike's arms.

Spike took Izzy and immediately began talking to her. "Are these two telling you stories, Izzy?"

"Just telling her which boys to stay away from and which are safe." Sophie smirked.

"Yeah, boys like your daddy you need to stay clear of." Spike told Izzy though the three adults knew he was ribbing Sophie.

Winnie continued to watch as Spike allowed Izzy to explore his face, sticking her fingers into his mouth, she smiled when the little girl giggled as Spike gently pretended to chomp on her tiny fingers. Next she was pulling his ear and splaying her hand on his cheek, gently patting it.

"Spike, as we women grow older we learn to watch out for the wolf in sheep's clothing," Sophie countered his comment.

"What are you implying?"

"Oh, I know you, play with the kids, catch with the teenage boys, blowing bubbles with the babies, Frisbee and Barbies with the pre-teens…"

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry am I ruining your macho image with Winnie?" Sophie chuckled.

"Barbies?" Winnie laughed.

"With Wordy's girls." Sophie confirmed.

"It was one time and I was Ken." Spike clarified! "Plus, Wordy was playing, too."

"Yeah, well he's the dad; it's part of his mandate."

Winnie couldn't help the laughter that spilled out from deep within her. The thought of Spike playing Barbies with little girls really didn't surprise her that much but the image was hilarious.

"Great," Spike stared at Sophie Lane while Winnie continued to laugh.

"Like I said, a wolf in sheep's clothing, you may be able to fool a lot of people Spike, but Barbies or not, you're a wolf."

"I am not!"

"Okay," Sophie continued to tease.

"That's it, let's get out of here before she continues to corrupt your innocent mind." Spike spoke to Izzy as he walked away continuing to hold the young girl, Sophie and Winnie could hear him continue talking to her while walking towards Ed and Greg. "Let's go have some manly influences, learn what men discuss."

The two women continued to laugh until Sophie leaned into Winnie once again saying, "He's gonna make a great father one day."

"Oh brother, now you sound like his mother." Winnie groaned.

"Oh, you got to meet her?"

"Yeah." Winnie nodded her head.

"How'd that go?"

"Well, let's see. She thought I needed to gain some weight, thanked me for being around to look after him, as if he can't do that on his own, and hinted that she needed more grandbabies."

Sophie laughed, "She's a hoot. I only met her once, Ed and I stopped by the house, I don't remember why and she thought I needed to put on some weight as well. I was four months pregnant at the time," she laughed.

Winnie shook her head, "She's sweet. I'm kind of sad she's not around."

"You sure about that, she's an Italian mother, eventually she would be all over your relationship."

"I suppose, still, I liked her."

"Eventually you'll more than likely be thankful she's half way around the world." Sophie chuckled.

"Hey, how's your business going?" Winnie took her eyes off of Spike who continued to hold Izzy in his arms and turned to look at the woman sitting beside her.

"Not too badly. Thanks for asking."

"I have my own reasons for asking."

"Such as?"

"My parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary is coming up and my brother, sister and I are thinking of throwing them a party, a catered party."

"Oh, I'd be happy to do it if I'm available," Sophie smiled. "Gee Winnie, what skin products do you use, you don't look old enough to have parents celebrating a thirtieth."

Winnie smiled at Sophie, "You're very kind but in reality, I'm not that old." She shook her head, "My brother is older and my parents waited a few years before they had him." She shrugged.

"So how far off is this party?"

"Not for a few months. I'm having dinner at my parent's house next weekend. My brother and I are going to crunch some numbers and start to make some preliminary plans."

"Okay, let me know if you'd like me to cater it once you know."

"Will do."

****FP****

As Ed Lane buckled his daughter into her car seat he looked into the front seat asking his wife, "So, what exactly did you say to Spike today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all I know is you had Izzy here in your arms," he gave the young girl a quick kiss on her cheek, "and the next thing I know Spike arrives with her, explaining to her how to make a pipe bomb."

Sophie couldn't help but laugh, "I was just teasing him."

"Yeah…?"

"About playing Barbies with Wordy's kids." She shrugged.

"Yeah, so what's so bad about that? It's true." Ed chuckled thinking back to a day when Wordy's daughter explained to the whole team how Uncle Spike had played Barbies with her and her sisters the day before when the demolitions expert had eaten dinner with the Wordsworth family.

"Well, Winnie was sitting there."

"Yeah, so?" Ed said while climbing into the vehicle and starting the engine.

"I'm sure it's not an image he'd like her to have so early in their courtship."

"Courtship, Soph, what are you talking about?"

"Ed." Sophie turned to look at her husband, "You know for a police officer you certainly don't have the best powers of deduction."

"What are you talking about?"

"Spike and Winnie."

"Spike and Winnie?" Ed was nodding his head up and down.

"Were you at the same picnic as us today?" she asked while looking in the back seat at Clark.

"Sophie, what do you mean by Spike and Winnie?"

"Geez dad didn't you see it?" Clark asked.

Ed looked in the rear view at his teenage son. "See what?"

Sophie couldn't help but laugh, "You didn't pick up on their chemistry at all?"

"Chem…Spike and Winnie?"

"Yes, even if you didn't catch the tension, the looks, the small touches, are you telling me Wordy didn't tell you?"

"No, tell me what?"

"When he and Shelley arrived Spike and Winnie were sharing a rather heated kiss in his vehicle."

"Kiss…Spike and Winnie?"

Clark sitting in the back seat couldn't help but laugh, "You're so out of it dad."

"Am I the only one in the dark here? Are you sure about this?" he asked taking his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at his wife.

"Yes, she confirmed it when I asked her."

Ed remained silent the rest of their drive, when they arrived home and he was unbuckling his daughter Sophie asked Clark if he would go ahead and unlock the door. When he left she turned to her husband, "Ed, what's wrong?"

He sighed, "What the hell is going on with this team?"

"Don't blow this out of proportion. They make a cute couple."

"Coup…Sophie, office romances are never a good thing, but in this line of work, it could spell disaster."

"Ed, please don't over react, Winnie was extremely nervous today about all of our reactions."

"Yeah, with good reason, she knows the possible consequences."

"Ed, stop worrying."

"It's my job to worry. Please tell me I've entered into the twilight zone or I'm having some sort of warped dream, or hey I get it, you're all involved in one of Spike's pranks. I've just been Spike punked, right?" He asked as he took the sleeping Izzy into his arms and headed towards the house.

Sophie placed a hand on her husband's arm stopping him from entering their house. "Ed, I'm serious. Don't blow this out of proportion and ruin this for them. You have to agree that Spike could use someone in his life that perhaps understands what he does all day long at work and will be there to support him instead of giving him a cold shoulder. And if you'd been observant today, you would have seen for yourself that despite how new this relationship is; Winnie is in love with Spike."

Ed stared at his wife for a long time before he answered, "Alright, alright, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to have a talk with him."

"Of course you are; you wouldn't be their team leader if you weren't intruding into their personal lives."

"Sophie, that's not fair."

"Do they ask you about your personal life?" she asked before she turned and went into the house.

****FP****

Blocks away Spike pulled into his driveway and he and Winnie climbed out of the vehicle and walked into his home…


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Here it is Lucky 13 :) Sorry about the wait, hopefully it's worth it. So if you don't like sexual content in a story than perhaps you should skip this chapter. If you are 17 years or younger perhaps you too should skip this chapter, but hey, I'm not your mother… Happy reading, Sharon.

Thanks to Remington 700PSS.

* * *

><p>By the time Winnie and Spike arrived at his place in the early evening Winnie's body was tingling from the anticipation of their upcoming evening together. It had started with the kiss they'd been found in by Wordy and his family and continued throughout the afternoon with shared looks, brief stolen touches here and there, and at one point while they'd been eating she had looked towards Spike who sat a few chairs over from her and she had to gulp down half a bottle of water as a distraction and to help cool her off. He'd been gazing at her and the desire she saw smoldering in his beautiful eyes was palpable. She'd held his gaze until Clark, who was sitting beside him, had said something to Spike diverting his attention away from her. The moment had only lasted seconds but it had been long enough for her body to react. Her nipples tightened into hardened nubs begging for attention, his attention. A slow ache also began to build. It continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening and now as they walked into his bedroom she felt a throbbing in her lower region which she knew of only one cure for.<p>

Although the house was quiet she couldn't help but wonder if Spike could hear her heart pounding in her chest. As she stood looking at his bed she felt Spike's hands come to rest on her hips as he stood behind her and his body press against hers, by pure instinct she leaned her back into his body.

"Winnie," he groaned against her ear.

She loved it when he did that, the sound of her name coming out his mouth in that form was so incredibly sexy.

Spike brushed her hair aside and began nibbling her skin just below her ear and slowly began a decent until he reached the point where her t-shirt met her bare shoulder. Her shirts scooped necked shirt leaving a lot for his exploration.

"Spike…" she whispered as he started to work his way back up. She couldn't take it any longer and turned to face him. Their lips quickly met and a passion Winnie had never before experienced ignited between them. Her body went from tingling to vibrating in a split second.

She felt Spike's hands come to rest on the sides of her face as he broke their kiss. "Winnie, are you sure about this," he asked; the passion still simmering in his eyes.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

No sooner had she said the single word than his lips were back on hers. She had no remembrance of bringing her hands up and running them through his hair but that's where she found them when she found herself returning to reality. She moaned when Spike took her bottom lip in between his and sucked on it before breaking their contact.

His hands which had been resting on her back just below her shoulder blades pressing her body against his slowly began to caress their way down her back until they took the bottom of her long t-shirt and lifting it up and over her head. Before she could even draw another breath it was lying on the floor at their feet.

"Winnie," Spike whispered as he took in the sight of her standing there in her bra and jeans.

Almost instantly his lips were back on her body exploring her bare shoulder again while his hands cupped her behind resulting in a low moan from within her. Moments later his fingers quickly set to work on the button of her jeans. She tugged his shirt out from within his pants and unbuttoned it from the bottom up. Once the buttons were undone she groaned when she found a t-shirt underneath the shirt instead of his bare skin.

When he had the audacity to chuckle at her frustration she gave him a quick pinch in his side. "Hey," he stopped his ministrations and jumped back.

Winnie's stomach fluttered when he looked at her with his usual smile showing his dimples. She smiled back, "You deserved it."

She watched as his eyes quickly lowered and took in her appearance once again, "Are you trying to kill me," he asked in a husky voice?

Winnie's stomach flipped at the sound of that voice, "No, why?"

"Because you can't wear sexy underwear like that and not expect me to peel it off as soon as possible. That bra makes what's underneath far too enticing."

She couldn't help but grin at him despite the fluttering in her stomach, "Then perhaps it's doing its job," she took a step closer to him. Just like any woman who begins dating someone new, she'd begun wearing her sexier lingerie and knowing tonight was the night was certainly no exception, she wore a matching bra and pantie set that she'd bought months ago at La Vie en Rose and had never worn.

"You are trying to kill me," Spike stated as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and flung it onto to the floor next to hers? Her eyes danced across his bare chest, noticing a scar which looked like it would have been inflicted by a burn of some sort.

"So, do I get to see if it's a matched set," he asked as his eyes lowered to her jeans?

"Oh yeah," she grinned. She had no idea that the small pinch she had inflicted would change the smoldering heat they'd been experiencing to the bantering that was currently taking place, but she didn't regret it, the banter helped put her at ease again as she'd been starting to feel uneasy with the sexual tension between them. She continued to watch as Spike once again took in her La Vie en Rose purchase, his eyes seeming to get darker by the second, there was no mistaking his desire.

Within seconds she was back in his embrace, sharing another heated passionate kiss, she felt his hands begin to tug at the button of her jeans once again, when he accomplished his goal he unzipped the zipper as well and she shimmied out of her jeans with his help.

With his arms wrapped around her waist he slowly began to walk backwards. Her hands began exploring Spikes chest and back, his arms and shoulders. The feel of his muscles excited her in a way she hadn't expected.

When they reached his bed, Spike sat and pulled her down so she was straddling him, his hands coming to rest on her bare backside, groaning when he discovered she was wearing a thong. He broke their kiss and his lips began their assault on her throat. She moaned and tilted her head backward her fingers kneading his shoulders. She arched her back when his ministrations began to lower and reached the valley between her breasts. "Spike…"

Again she ran her hands through his hair. His left hand slowly meandered up her body before coming to rest on her side just below her breast which ached with need. As if he could read her mind, his thumb ran across her nipple, making her arch inward towards him even further. His lips were kissing the swell of her right breast peeking out from beneath the silk fabric of her bra.

She moaned not only from the wonderful sensations taking over her upper body, but also from the bulge in his pants pressed against her feminine core. She ever so slightly rubbed herself against it.

"Winnie…" he groaned, using his thumb to brush aside her bra and moving his mouth to her nipple, gently kissing it. She didn't think she could be more turned on until he took the peak into his mouth and suckled. The sensations it created shot right through her body down to her loins and she rocked harder against his erection.

"Winnie…" he said again right before his hand reached around her and undid her bra sliding the straps down her arms and flinging it to the floor before wrapping his arms around her again and standing.

"Spike!" She couldn't help but squeal her surprise as he stood.

"Shh, it's okay," he replied before turning around and gently placing her down on his bed then quickly removing his pants before laying on the bed beside her. It took him no time at all to pick up where he'd left off as he took a nipple into his mouth.

She arched her back off the bed moaning his name again. Her hands once again taking up residence in his soft hair, her body responding to Spike as it never had to any other lover she'd been with. She didn't just want him, she needed him. She knew there was nobody on the face of the earth that could have set her body on fire like this. She could feel her body building to its fiery explosion and needing its release and yet she didn't want their night to come to an end.

While his mouth continued exploring her right breast she felt his hand take up residence on the other and begin to mimic his rather talented mouth. When he took one nipple between his teeth and give a tiny pull she felt its twin between his thumb and forefinger also being tweaked. When his tongue circled an orb his thumb circled the other.

One of her hands finally began to explore his shoulder and back, kneading his taunt muscles. She almost whimpered when Spike's mouth stopped its actions. She arched her back off the bed however when he blew on her nipple the cool sensation sending shivers along her spine.

Before Winnie knew it they were embroiled in another passionate kiss and Spike's hand was caressing his way along her long torso, his fingertips caressing a circle around her belly button a few times the action making her shutter and soon enough his hand was once again making its way south while his mouth also started its decent south, she tilted her head giving him better access to her throat, he seemed to love nibbling her there. When his hand reached lower his fingers followed her panty line until it reached the junction where her hip and leg met, his fingers continued on to her thigh. She was unable to hide her disappointment and whimpered this time Spike didn't chuckle at her action.

Instead he took pity on her and in the next instant she felt the pads of his fingers exactly where she wanted them to be. Her breathing came quicker as she moaned his name again and pressed upward against his fingers. Again she whimpered when she felt those same fingers move to the side where she was pleasantly surprised as he slipped them between her panties and her skin and move back to her core.

"Oh, Spike," she cried out when he stroked her most delicate spot.

"Winnie, I don't think I can last much longer." He growled against her throat.

"Me either," she panted.

That's all it seemed to take for him to act. His fingers slipped out of her thong and he pushed himself up until he was resting on his knees. When he slipped the fingers of both hands between her underwear and her hips, she pushed herself slightly off the bed allowing him to remove her panties. Once she lay there naked her stomach flipped again when he looked at her and closed his eyes, seeming to need to gain control of himself.

Once he opened his eyes again, he gazed into her eyes, "You're more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, Winnie." His voice was barely above a whisper and then he climbed off the bed and removed his briefs.

Her eyes immediately took in his naked body standing before her. She instinctually licked her lips when she looked him up and down and her eyes landed on his member standing proudly at attention, she watched Spike as he took a few steps to his night stand opened the drawer and withdrew a string of condoms and ripping one free at the perforations. She continued to watch as he ripped the square open and took the condom in his hands and threw the empty package onto the bedside table. When he placed the condom on his tip she found herself getting up to her own knees and moving to the edge of the bed.

She gently slapped his hands away saying, "Let me," she knew she had to touch him and knew this was her only chance because once the rubber was in place she knew there'd be no wasted time. He let his hands fall to his sides and they locked eyes as she began to roll the prophylactic into place. She'd managed to get it half way on when she felt his hand covering hers squeezing gently bringing her actions to a stop.

"Winnie," he was shaking his head at her.

"Okay," she understood his unspoken body language. He was way too close to the edge to have her touching him at the moment and took her hand away from his. She broke eye contact with him and lowered her eyes watching as his hands finished the job she'd been doing, _oh god, it's really happening._ Once he was finished he kneeled onto the bed in front of her and gently moved her into her previous position on her back.

She'd never before been so ready for a man's sex without much foreplay, but knew she was more than ready for this moment. She once again locked eyes with him as he positioned herself overtop of her, placing the tip of his member at her entrance.

"You sure you're ready," he asked?

She nodded her head not knowing whether or not she'd be able to reply to his question verbally. With her reassurance Spike entered her with a smooth solid thrust and she gasped.

"You okay," he asked?

"Yeah," she confirmed.

She lay there allowing herself to absorb the reality of their union. She had no idea whether he was remaining still for his benefit or hers but didn't mind. Finally he lowered himself onto his upper arms placing them flat beside her and began to pull out slowly. The sensations it produced were almost overwhelming. She pulled her knees towards the ceiling and placed her feet flat on the bed beside their hips as he thrust back into her which resulted in a groan from them both.

"Spike..." she panted.

His name seemed to spur him on as the pumping action came in quick hard thrusts now, building the sensations within her just as quickly. She could feel her body tensing as all her nerve endings seemed to be crying out for their release.

"Oh…Spike…oh that's…."

"God, Winnie…" he grunted.

Hearing her name seemed to be just what she needed as her body began to convulse with the most amazing orgasm she'd ever experienced. Although she was barely aware of her surroundings and probably couldn't have told anyone what her name was or her birthdate or any other pertinent personal information that would normally come without any thought, she was fully aware of her body's reactions as her inner walls squeezed around Spike's member and her breathing become more laboured. She was also fully aware of him, the feel of him, the taste of him and the grunts and groans emanating from him.

Her arms were around his body her fingers pressing firmly into his back muscles. When the waves of pleasure began to subside and her breathing was returning to normal she began to focus on Spike. He continued to slam into her and she could feel the muscles beneath her finger tips becoming more and more taunt. His breathing becoming more and more laboured as well. Their bodies she realized were glistening with moisture.

Spontaneously she lifted her legs and wrapped her legs around him crossing them at her ankles and began to nibble his throat. Her actions seemed to be just what he needed as he let go of a rather passionate groan.

"Ha, Winnie…perfect…" he managed before his body gave way to its own release. She held onto him as he continued to ride out his own pleasure, she could feel the warmth of his seed as it spilled into the condom, she continued with the attention she was offering his throat which he seemed to be taking particular pleasure in.

Finally he began to slow down his thrusts in direct correlation with his breathing. When he came to a full stop, he lifted his upper body up and placing his forehead on hers. He stayed that way for some time. She had her eyes open and was watching him when he finally opened his. "You okay," he asked her again.

"Yeah," she managed.

"That was amazing," his breathing was still a bit shallow.

"Yeah," was all she could manage to say.

She was saddened when he finally pulled out of her about a minute later. She didn't think she'd felt so empty in her life. He rolled onto his back his one arm stretched completely out to the side and the other bent at the elbow above his head and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Are you okay," she couldn't help but smirk?

"I think so," he smiled, just as her body involuntarily shivered, "You cold?"

"Yeah."

"Let's get under the blankets then," he said as he got out of the bed and stood beside it. "Umm…I'm gonna take care of this," he said while looking down at himself.

As she managed to get out of his bed she watched his retreating backside and inwardly moaned. Just the sight of his bare ass had her all hot and bothered again. As he walked out of his room she pulled back the duvet on his bed and climbed back in pulling it up to cover herself. She was pretty sure she had a huge stupid grin on her face that she thought nothing short of a gunshot to the head could erase. As she snuggled deeper into Spike's bed he reappeared. For as long as she lived she would never understand how men could feel so comfortable in their own skin the first time they were naked in front of someone for the first time. As he too climbed back into the bed she thought about how there was no way in hell she could ever walk around like that in front of him right now.

Once he was in a comfortable position he reached out to her and she willing snuggled into his side, laying her head in the alcove where his arm and shoulder met, one of her legs lazily laying on top of his. She closed her eyes as she lay there listening to his heartbeat and focused on the feel of his hand as it began to caress figure eights along the small of her back.

"You sure you're okay," he asked.

"Yeah, why?" she opened her eyes and began caressing his chest.

"Umm, that was a lot rougher than I had planned, sorry 'bout that," he explained.

"Don't worry about it there was absolutely nothing wrong with that," she emphasized the last word.

"Still, next time will be slower, gentler."

"If you say so."

"I do," he leaned down and kissed her forehead and then rested his head back onto his pillow. They lay there for a long time, not saying a word, him tracing his figure eights while she sub-consciously traced the outline of the scar on his chest. Slowly his hand began to slow down until it fell to the bed. She looked up and sure enough he was sound asleep. She smiled at him and snuggled in closer to him closing her own eyes. Something told her that this would either be the best sleep of her life or she wouldn't sleep at all. Either way she didn't care, she still didn't want the night to end.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Okay, so again, if you're not a fan of mild smut or 17 or under, don't read this chapter. But come on, you didn't think I could write this story and not give you a glimpse into Spike's thoughts now did you? The next chapter will return to their regular day to day stuff.

Thanks again to Remington 700PSS.

Thanks also to Andorian Ice Princess-AIP for helping me with my program glitch, you rock :o)

Spike woke the following morning feeling like a million bucks; he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so soundly. He lay on his back and stretched his body reaching his arms above his head. He wasn't used to sharing his bed and his body could feel it. Once the kinks were stretched out he looked at his alarm clock, it read eight fifteen. Suddenly he caught a whiff of Winnie's perfume or whatever it was that always made her smell so good. He rolled onto his side and watched as she continued to sleep, contemplating whether or not to wake her. A smile crept across his face as he remembered waking her up in the middle of the night and the results of that. He continued to watch her she lay on her stomach with her head turned in his direction and her arm bent at the elbow, her hand tucked safely away under her pillow or more accurately his pillow, the one he usually had under his head while sleeping. That, he figured, explained the kink in his neck, as he tilted his head from side to side.

He reached over and smoothed away some runaway strands of her hair tucking them in behind her ear. She stirred, so he quickly removed his hand deciding he didn't wanted to disturb her slumber. It was her day off and he wanted her to sleep in if that was what she normally did on her day off, he had no idea. That's when the thought occurred to him that he was looking forward to finding out the small details or her life. Did she prefer showers or baths, fiction or non-fiction, red or white wine, although he should know that one, but hadn't paid close enough attention, did she have any sexual preferences? Was she adventurous or did she prefer always making love in a bed missionary style like they had last night, twice. Just as his thoughts began to meander down a rather interesting fantasy Winnie began to stir once again, this time he could tell she was waking up. He lay there continuing to watch her, she opened her eyes and her lovely dark brown eyes were staring back at him.

"Bella Mattina."

Her lips formed into a smile. "I wasn't dreaming."

"Nope, that was no dream." he smiled back at her. "You sleep okay?"

"Yeah."

"You hungry?"

"No, what did you say back there?"

"Where?"

"I think you were speaking Italian."

"Oh, did I? I didn't notice, um…"

"Bella something."

"Oh, Bella Mattina…morning beautiful."

She smiled at him. "I thought beautiful was Bello?"

Spike smiled back, "It is if you say it as a single word."

"Well that's not confusing."

"Do you have any plans today?" He asked changing the subject.

"Not for the day, but tonight my friends are coming over for pot luck. What about you? Do you have any plans before work?"

"I need to go for a run and there's a showing of the house just after lunch so I need to be to be out of here by then."

"You're going for a run? Don't you guys work out before your shift?"

"Yep, but I always go for a run before work. You wanna come with me?"

Winnie looked at him for a while before she asked. "How far do you run?"

"Depends, usually around eight k's or so."

"Eight kilometers!"

"Not far enough for you," He smirked?

"Funny. I think I'll pass thanks."

"I could go shorter if you'd like to come."

"Hmm…I'm not a runner, so I think you're going solo. Why don't you just use the treadmill at work?"

"The treadmill doesn't do it for me. I like real life obstacles, hills and stairs, dogs and cars."

Spike watched Winnie as she rolled over onto her back to stretch; lifting her arms and hands over her head. With just his bed sheet covering all of her seeing the swells of her breasts peeking out, he groaned.

Winnie turned to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," He replied while rolling onto his back as well.

Winnie lifted herself onto her elbow lifting the sheet to cover herself as she did so. "You sure?"

He looked up at her and shook his head, "Yeah. But do me a favour."

"What's that?"

"Stop being so damn sexy."

Winnie smiled down at him. "Sexy huh, is there a problem with that?"

Spike looked into her eyes and saw her need and knew he was a goner. He began formulating a way to negotiate himself out of his small mess. Within months of joining the SRU he'd made it a personal policy not to have sex before work. The few times he had he'd paid for it dearly. His legs couldn't take it and they had turned to jelly with all the running he did on calls. But looking into her dark needy eyes he knew denying her wasn't an option.

He raised himself up onto his elbow as well, facing her and reaching his free hand out, placing it on the back of her head, gently pulling her towards him. Once their lips met, the passion they'd shared the night before ignited instantly. When he felt her tongue press against his lips, he immediately gave her entrance and their tongues began an age old dance with one another. When she moaned, he gently pushed her down onto his mattress and began exploring her body with his free hand.

"You're so beautiful, Winnie," He groaned.

Suddenly he felt one of her hands come up and rest on his chest gently applying pressure. He supressed a groan this time, he knew that feeling. It was a motion most women made when they were putting the brakes on certain activities. They'd push him away from them and that would be that, he certainly wasn't the type to push back. He briefly thought it was for the best since his legs couldn't take it anyway, but he was already fired up, she had a way of doing that to him.

He looked down at her. "You okay?" He asked, surprised to see the passion still lingering in her eyes.

"Yeah." She replied while lifting herself onto her elbow while placing her free hand on his chest once more and nudging him onto his back. "I thought perhaps you could use a break." She explained while laying the upper half of her body against his.

"You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"If that's the case you'll hopefully die a satisfied man." She teased just before she kissed him.

Was she kidding? He was already a very satisfied man! They'd made love twice during the evening and while each time was different, one fast, heated and passionate, the other was slow, sensual and just as passionate. While the first time had been more about sex and fulfilling their needs and desires, the second time had been more making love and exploring one another, each time had been just as satisfying. He'd been delightfully surprised at how easy it had been to be with Winnie, unlike most first times between two people they had quickly managed to discover each other's pleasure zones, and now he had an assertive Winnie in his bed. He had a feeling the woman currently nibbling the underside of his jaw would continue to surprise him. Her nibbles turned to gentle bites and he moaned. He was quickly heating up again. He decided he needed to make sure she was hot with need soon because he was quickly approaching his limit. He wondered if he'd ever reach a point with Winnie where they weren't playing catch up with her because he was a ticking time bomb needing diffusing.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and ever so slightly began caressing her skin with the tips of his fingers. Her skin immediately broke into goose bumps. She moaned and arched her breasts into his chest.

"Spike…" She whispered.

****FP****

After having very satisfying sex with Winnie, with her on top this time, Spike found himself in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. When Winnie came into the room he turned to her taking in her appearance. It was in sharp contrast to his. She'd just had a shower and looked wide awake and like the woman he worked with. Having brought an overnight bag with her allowed her to wear fresh clothing, apply a small amount of make-up and her hair, still damp from her shower, hung loose around her face. The only grooming he'd accomplished after their heated morning sex was a brushing of his teeth and he was currently wearing a pair of thinning grey SRU issued track pants and a Rolling Stones concert t-shirt.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"Refreshed, not better." She replied with a sparkle in her eyes as she came to stand in front of him.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You truly are insatiable."

She smiled at his words. "I was just commenting that there was nothing wrong with the way I was feeling before my shower." She defended herself.

"Right." He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"You gonna have a shower?" she asked.

"Nope. Gonna have my run first."

"You're still going for run?"

"I told you I was. I really need to strengthen my legs this morning. The last thing I need is Ed riding my ass about the shape I'm in, or not in."

"Spike, you're in excellent shape. I think you could you know, skip a day."

"No, really I can't. My legs are going to be weak today, the sooner I get the blood circulating to them and the muscles working, the better it'll be."

"Is that my fault?" she asked shyly.

He grinned at her. "No, it's our fault."

"You'll be okay?" she asked.

Spike heard the worry in her voice. "I will, just don't want Ed giving me a hard time if I'm not at my best."

"He's hard on you guys, eh?"

"It's his job to be. He needs to know our weaknesses as well as our strengths, both physical and mental. He mostly leaves our strengths alone. He'll make sure we don't slack off concerning them. He pushes Jules and Sam to make sure they hit the shooting range a lot, that sort of thing. Not wanting them to ignore it."

"And you?"

"Pretty much leaves my working on my strengths to me. My weakness is another story, physically, my legs, he makes sure I do leg presses, lots of squats and I run."

"They seem fine to me." she practically purred as she began to nibble on the side of his neck and kneading his thigh.

Spike leaned his head back and away, "God, Winnie." He crushed her body closer to his, feeling her breasts flatten against his chest. "You need to stop. We really can't do this again today."

"Okay," She whispered against his throat. "You're legs apparently couldn't handle it anyway." She teased him.

"Trust me, if I didn't have to work today, we wouldn't be getting out of my bed."

"Something to look forward to I guess."

Spike heard the timber in her voice take on a serious note as she spoke once again, pulling her upper body away from him, looking him in the eyes. "Are you serious about your legs, 'cause you guys seem to be in pretty awesome shape?"

"Yeah," He nodded his head. "Like I said, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I have great endurance, steady hands, a clear mind, quick thinking, better than average shooting and concentration, strong arms, but my legs, on calls when I have to run a lot, they burn. It's hard, but I push through and don't allow myself to focus on the pain." He shrugged.

"Oh."

"You're not going to start worrying about me are you?"

"Spike, I have a news flash for you. I always worry about you."

"I see. Hey listen." He said deciding to ignore her latest statement for now and let go of her turning towards the cupboards opening one and taking out a mug, then opening another and taking out a sugar bowl and placing them on the counter, "You sit and relax, have a cup of coffee while I go out for my jog." He continued while pulling open a drawer and grabbing a spoon. He turned to face her again, "Cream is in the fridge."

"Okay."

"And try not to worry about me okay. I work on the most elite police unit in the city, that's no fluke and it means the people who have my back are the best."

He watched her shake her head back and forth, "Spike, I'm not saying I worry about your skills, it's just hard sometimes to sit and listen. More than likely my imagination is making the sounds I'm hearing out to be worse than they are."

"Okay."

"I'd just prefer when you're in the field that you're doing something easy."

"Easy?" He felt his eyes grow large in question. 

"Yeah, you know, like covering Greg or something like that."

"Easy, you think that's easy!" He chuckled.

"Well, you know, I mean physically."

Spike couldn't help the laugh that escaped from between his lips, "Okay Winnie, since you're not going to come for a jog with me, you're getting another exercise."

He looked around the room until he spotted the broom leaning against the refrigerator between it and the wall. Grabbing it he handed it to her. "Okay, here.

She took it from him staring at him while she did so and furrowing her eyebrows in question.

"What you're going to do is hold it like gun okay? This is your weapon, you're going to hold it like this." He set about showing her how to properly hold the "weapon."

"Spike…" Winnie chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

"Nope, wait, this'll be good for you. See how strong your arms are."

He went to the cupboard and took out an unopened bag of sugar. "Here, this'll do." He pulled out a roll of packing tape from a small wicker basket sitting on the counter and proceeded to tape the bag to the broom handle. Studying his handy work he nodded his head and handed the broom back to her.

"Okay, this is a pound of sugar. Our weapons weigh between five and six pounds, okay the weight may be evenly disturbed on the real thing, but this'll have to do." He looked at Winnie and saw the amusement in her eyes. "You up for this challenge?"

"Yep." He noticed there was still amusement in her eyes as she answered.

"Okay, while I'm out, I want you to hold the broom the way I just showed you to. You also have to remember to focus on one object." He looked around the room.

"Here, the picture of my niece on the fridge, don't take your eyes off of her. She's your subject, she has a gun, maybe she's waving it around, maybe has it held against a hostage's head, perhaps at Greg, who's standing beside you."

She nodded her head at him.

"Remember, his weapon is still holstered, you are his weapon."

"Right" She said nodding her head.

"But remember, you're also listening to him and the subject and the rest of the team."

"How can you listen to that all at once?"

"Ah ha. You starting to doubt yourself?" He smirked.

"No, I can do this." She said confidently. "I listen to all of you all the time."

"Okay, so you're listening to Greg try and talk my niece down," He tapped her picture. "You're listening to the snipers get into position, listening to whoever is the truck, giving you on-going information. Your voice will be mixed up in there as well with further Intel; you have to take it all in. You know how busy our comms are."

She nodded her head again. "Okay."

"Then, there's Raf, he's a rookie, he's probably standing beside you as your second, but he's a little anxious still, he's still learning the nuts and bolts of the job and the team, you have to keep an eye on him in your peripheral vision and keep him calm if it looks like he's getting antsy."

"Geez." Winnie looked at him with big eyes.

"And don't forget, you have to keep yourself calm. It's a volatile situation, someone could get shot and it's your job to make sure it's not the boss."

"Of course, but what about the hostage?"

"That's the sniper's job, unless they don't have a clear shot, then it becomes yours. You have to be listening and absorbing all the information at all times. If the subject moves, the snipers' line of sight might be jeopardized."

He watched her gulp and grinned. "But don't worry; it's going to be easy, right?" He winked at her.

"Spike…"

"Oh and don't forget, there could be a crowd gathered around, perhaps a couple of uni's behind you somewhere that would like nothing more than play the hero of the day, probably some news cameras and teams back there somewhere as well."

"Geez." She said again.

"You ready." He looked at his watch.

"Yep." She smiled.

"Raise your weapon and I'll see you when I get back. Remember you can't lower it, you do and Greg might end up shot or worse."

"Got'cha." She replied while she raised her sugar wrapped broom weapon and pointed it at the fridge. "But what if I have to pee?" she teased as he opened the door.

"You hold it."

Spike went outside and did some stretches before setting out for his run, wondering how long it would take before Winnie's arms became tired and started to burn and if she was prepared for how the burning and pain would start to take its toll on her mentally and if she'd give into the instinct to close her eyes against the pain.

He also wondered to himself if this challenge to show her how misguided her thinking was had been a good idea? It could backfire and all he was doing was giving her another thing to worry about, if she thought covering Greg was easy perhaps he should have just let go on believing it.

As he fell into his running groove, he thought back to the previous evening. By the time he had Winnie naked in his bed, an image he'd been thinking about the entire day because it had been at the forefront of his thoughts all day, he'd had a very primal reaction to her. There had been a very little foreplay involved and despite his feeling badly about that it turned out there hadn't needed to be. She had been just as ready for their union as he had been. When he'd touched her between her legs she'd been wet and ready and discovering that fact had been like setting a match to fuel.

As if the lack of foreplay and rushed experience wasn't bad enough, he'd then fallen asleep. He couldn't really think of any other scenario that could have been worse, well if he'd had his release before her that would have been worse.

When he woke up sometime around one in the morning with her warm body pressed against his he knew the only thing able to cool his raising temperature was her. A cold shower may have worked as well but it would have been a temporary solution, as he'd just be crawling back into bed with her and his need would only return. So he set about waking her up in a manner that would assure she too would be up to another round of love making, and this time that's what he would set out to do. It wouldn't just be sex to satisfy their mutual needs, but they'd make love and explore each other's body. If truth be known however, he had managed a lot more exploration than she had, because once again he'd been too worked up to last for a lengthy survey on her part.

When she was fully awake he discovered Winnie liked a sucking sensation no matter which part of her body he was exploring, which he was more than willing to accommodate, taking his time. He started with those lips he loved so much. Earlier in the evening she'd responded to his taking her bottom lip between his lips and sucking so that's where he began. He moved to her jaw and then on to her earlobe. She had a significant reaction when he took it between his teeth giving a small love bite. The upper portion of her body arched, she shivered and moaned his name.

He slowly lowered along her throat while bringing a hand up to explore her breast again. He groaned against her throat. He loved the feel of it. It was soft and pliant, yet firm. There were moans and sighs coming from her that acted as the best aphrodisiac they could have ever used.

The name Spike coming from her did something in a positive way as well. Being a work nickname meant that no woman had ever used it while they were in bed with him. Since he'd always associated the name with people who respected him, cared for him, and valued the work he did, hearing her call him Spike while in the throes of passion immediately transported him to a place where he felt safe and secure, and helped him relax.

He was vaguely aware of her hands running through his hair. She did that a lot, most of the women he'd ever slept with did and he didn't understand it. With Winnie however, it was different. She had long slender fingers that seemed to message his head while playing with his hair, it felt nice. He continued his journey to her shoulder blades while she continued playing with his hair with one hand while the other began to caress the side of his neck. Just as he had discovered her penchant for suckling, she too had discovered an erogenous zone.

When he reached her breasts he was rewarded with her calling him Spike again. While he could have spent an infinite amount of time on this delicious part of her anatomy which it seemed she wouldn't mind at all, he was anxious to continue his exploration. So his journey continued southward. Along her long torso and down her abdomen, while it was dark and he couldn't really see, his mouth and tongue quickly found a scar which led him to conclude that Winnie had had her appendix removed at some point. Her anticipation seemed to gather as she began to squirm under his ministrations. She whimpered when he diverted to his right and down to her thigh.

When his mouth finally made contact with her hidden treasure not only did Winnie moan what sounded like relief, he groaned as well. By the time he reached her feminine core he had her entire body humming with desire and anxiety it didn't take long for her to reach the pinnacle of pleasure and she was quickly over the edge and calling out his name which was music to his ears.

As much as they both would have loved her giving his body the same amount of attention, he couldn't have handled it and they both knew it. So with no apologies needed the most exploring she managed was once again rolling the condom on. Which she managed to turn into an experience in its self, she took her time messaging and fondling him for as long as he could take it before he finally entered her. This time his thrusts were slow and steady. They were actually more like a rocking as she joined his movements. He took her hands in his and raised them above their heads on the bed. She was panting and moaning and groaning until she was once again falling over the edge. When she returned to the present she began to nibble his throat, he remembered thinking she'd been observant and had taken in his reactions each time she'd done it previously. Her suckling was what finally did him in and the release that followed was the most intense he'd ever experienced. The only thing he would have changed was being able to explore her body at any other time than in a darkened room in the middle of the night.

His feet continued to pound the pavement and his legs were burning but he continued his run while thinking about their morning coupling. A smile spread across his face as he remembered how she'd surprised him with her assertiveness. She'd also had her fun exploring him. The sensations she sent through him that morning had been exquisite. He assumed the only difference between their explorations was he hadn't let her bring him to orgasm orally as he wanted nothing more than to be inside her again. With his very first thrust into her the evening before he knew his soul had found its home and it had overwhelmed him. He'd had to stop and allow himself the time to come to terms with the thought.

This morning his wish to see her had come to light, both in reality and figuratively as she took control and they'd made love with her on top. It allowed his eyes to feast on the sight of her. She was more beautiful than he'd even remembered her being the evening before. She was fit and lean, her breasts he felt were perfect. Not too big, not too small, but the perfect size for his hands which quickly began to fondle her. He was happy to discover Winnie was one of those woman who responded well to a man's touch and wasn't afraid to show it. When he ran his thumbs across her dark nipples she cried out and lowered herself to kiss him. That's when he brought his hands up running them through her hair. He'd been so engrossed in their kiss and the feel of her loose curls between her fingers that her orgasm snuck up on him and his quickly followed.

Before he knew it he was back in his driveway his legs burning and his breathing coming harder than his normal morning jog brought. He set about doing some warm downs and stretches before he walked back into the house. When he did he smiled, Winnie sitting at the table with her hand wrapped around a coffee mug and reading the morning paper.

"So how long did you last," he asked?

"Not long, maybe fifteen minutes."

"Not as easy as you thought, huh?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

"How are your arms?" he asked while pouring himself a coffee.

"Sore." She smiled.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Taking Chances

**By: **SharonS

**Summary: **What happens when Winnie finally decides to take a chance?

**Disclaimer: **Again, don't own them, wish I did.

**A/N: **First off, sorry for the longer length between updates, a few things in my personal life had to get my full attention, work has been a bit weird lately, I'm producing a youth theatre production of Pirates of Penzance Jr. and the last two weekends have been full of set building, whew glad that's over, and I haven't been feeling well on top of it all. And very recently I received some rather disheartening and scary news regarding a family member's health so my concentration has been rather low as of late.

**Thanks: **As always **Remington 700PSS** thanks for your help and eyes and ideas, you certainly made this chapter more focused. I also want to take a moment to give a shout out to **AuntMingy** for helping out and making me laugh when I asked for a suggestion and for your continual support. You're fantastic! And to **Andorian Ice Princess-AIP**for letting me know I wasn't off my rocker and for helping me get out of the pickle I'd created for myself. The answer was so obvious!

* * *

><p>Winnie entered her home happy Stephanie was still at work and wouldn't be home for a few hours. She wanted some time to herself before she'd need to prepare her dish for the potluck dinner she was hosting later in the evening. She planned to use the time to take a long soak in her bathtub. She hated to admit how sore she felt, it had been close to a year since she'd last been intimate with a man and she was feeling the effects of having been with Spike three times in less than a twelve hour period. Not to mention how fast and hard their first time had been. Not that she was complaining, oh no she definitely wasn't complaining. The reality of sleeping with Spike had been far more delicious than any fantasy she'd ever imagined and she had fantasized about it frequently over the last couple of years.<p>

She quickly brought her overnight bag into her bedroom and went to the bathroom turning on the taps for her bathtub placing her hand under the running water and adjusting the temperature until she found a comfortable one and then poured in some liquid bubble bath. She went to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine.

Returning to the bathroom with her wine and iPod, she placed it on the docking station on the counter and turned it on and the sounds of Bob Seger's Down on Main Street filled the air. She peeled off her clothes and looked at the tiny bruises on each of her inner thighs. She'd noticed them while she'd been showering at Spike's house. She knew they were the result of their first time. Spike apologized for how rough it had been and she had told him no apology was necessary and she'd meant it. The only other time she'd experienced this type of bruising had been when she'd lost her virginity. This time however, unlike when she'd been nineteen, these bruises were tiny and were from the lack of regular intimacy and weren't the source of her soreness. She threw her hair into a ponytail and climbed into the bathtub revelling in its warmth.

She spent close to an hour in the tub, occasionally draining some of the cool water and replacing it with warmer water. She spent the time thinking about the day she had just spent with Spike. They'd lazed in bed for some time after they'd made love cuddling and talking about not only their day to come but Spike also discussed looking for an apartment to rent. When they'd finally gotten out of bed he made sure she had what she needed for her shower and left her alone. While the shower felt wonderful, truthfully she would have preferred a long lazy soak in the tub but wasn't going to do that in Spike's home so quickly set about washing her hair and body in order to have more time to just stand under the warm water letting it message her limbs. Discovering the tiny bruises on her thighs only made her desire for a soothing bath stronger and so she decided right there and then that a bath was exactly what she'd have the minute she arrived home today.

After she'd showered and changed into the outfit she'd brought with her she gathered her belongings and went back into Spike's bedroom with plans to tidy it up only to discover Spike had already made the bed and picked his discarded clothing off the floor. She took a moment to take in the room since there'd been little to no time the evening before when there'd been enough light to do so. The room hadn't been what she'd expected, instead of a disarray of belongings and a mixed match of furnishings she'd discovered it to be neat and orderly without a single electronic device in the room other than the alarm clock which sat on the bedside table on the side of the bed she'd slept on making her realized she'd probably slept on the side of the bed that Spike more than likely considered "his" side.

The bed was queen size and the duvet was nothing fancy but functional. The room was brighter than she expected considering it was in a basement. Other than the highboy dresser, the bed and its two side tables the room was bare. No painting, pictures or personal touches at all. However, there were a few boxes piled in one corner of the room so she assumed he'd packed some of his belongings getting ready for his eventual move.

She walked out of the room and took in the living room area of his domain. The room was long and wider than she'd expected as well. As a whole it was also not what she imagined. She expected the room to be dark and even a bit dingy, perhaps 1970's style panelling on the walls, an old beaten and battered carpet or throw rug and only floor lamps for lighting. However, the room was bright with no panelling and had obviously been renovated at some point in the not so distant past. The walls were adorned with drywall and paint but just like in his bedroom there were no pictures, prints or paintings on the walls. There was recessed lighting in the ceiling, a burber carpet under her feet and the furnishings were obviously Spike's and not hand me downs from his parents. There was a brown leather couch with a couple of matching lazy boy chairs. A square coffee table sat in front of the sofa with a couple of books sitting on it and there were a couple of end tables as well. He had a flat screen television that wasn't as large as she'd expected with no electronic devices attached to it which surprised her.

Closer to the stairs leading to the kitchen was an office area. There was a small glass desk which held a closed laptop, his PDA sat next to it charging, there was a an IPod docking port as well with an IPod sitting on it. A picture of himself, his niece and nephew brought a smile to her face. Beside the desk was a small two drawer filing cabinet with a wireless printer sitting on top of it. There were also three bookshelves without a single book or knickknack in them, but taped boxes with the word books written across them sat in corner, as well as a few with electronics written across them sat waiting for his impending move.

When she'd finally made it upstairs she found Spike in the kitchen looking too sexy for words as he still had a just crawled out of bed look about him. He'd dressed in a shabby pair of track pants, a Rolling Stones t-shirt and a pair of running shoes, and was making a pot of coffee. When he turned to look at her upon her arrival into the room it quickly brought her sexual energy bubbling to the surface and while they did take a few seconds for an embrace he quickly told her of his intent to go for the jog he'd mentioned earlier that morning while lying in bed asking if she'd like to come. Never having been one to enjoy running she turned his offer down.

That's when he'd challenged her to what she thought was going to be a simple and easy exercise. Never one to back down from a challenge she allowed him to set her up in a typical SRU negotiator cover position. She'd quickly discovered how wrong she'd been in her assumption it would be easy. Her arms quickly became very tired while holding the broom at eye level and pointing it at her object. The tiredness quickly gave way to a burning sensation which then gave way to her arms shaking. That's when her concentration disintegrated making her blink her eyes because her focus had run away as well. She quickly gave up and poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down to read the morning's edition of the Toronto Star that was sitting on the table. When Spike returned he smiled at her and asked her how long she'd lasted. She fibbed and told him perhaps fifteen minutes, it was a lot closer to just over five but she couldn't bring herself to admit that to him.

When she'd sat down with her coffee she couldn't believe how tired she felt. Not just her arms, but her entire body. As it turned out, covering Greg or Jules if she was the one negotiating, wasn't as easy as she thought it was. Holding their weapons at that angle for any length of time took stamina which she did not possess. She'd been surprised because she felt she was in pretty good shape. However, it was apparent to her that the SRU members possessed skills she did not.

When he returned he sat down with her and drank a cup of coffee then quickly disappeared to have a shower of his own. When he returned he was looking refreshed and ready for his day. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and carried his sports bag for work.

By this time it was just after eleven o'clock so they decided to go out for a late breakfast or early lunch. As it turned out it was a lunch since they decided on a local mom and pop Italian restaurant in his neighbourhood. The proprietors obviously knew him as the older woman placed her hands on either side of his face and placed a kiss on his cheek while calling him by name and telling him how happy she was too see him as it had been too long. He quickly introduced Winnie to the woman who embraced Winnie telling her she had a beautiful spirit. When they were seated she asked Spike if he wanted his usual or should she bring a couple of menus. Spike asked for the menus which she promptly brought with a pitcher of water and asked if she should bring a bottle of wine as well? Spike informed her that he was working later in the day.

While enjoying their meal they discussed the next week in regards to their schedules. After today, while Winnie would be heading back to work, team one would have a three day break before coming back to work on the day shift. Although she learned Spike would return to the day shift after only two days off because he would be working a shift for team three's bomb tech. With that being fleshed out it was decided they would spend the next few evenings hanging out together and possibly she'd tag along with him while he looked for an apartment.

After their meal the two climbed into Spike's SUV and he drove to her home. He didn't come in so they said their goodbyes in his vehicle. A rather passionate goodbye if she did say so herself.

When she was finished her soak she towelled herself off and dressed again in the clothing sitting on the bathroom floor. She grabbed her empty wine glass and went into the kitchen, turning on the small radio sitting on the counter top and refilled her wine glass before beginning to prepare the broccoli salad for the night she was hosting with her friends. While frying the bacon she planned to crumple into the salad she heard the distant sirens of police vehicles. Stepping into her living room she pushed back the drapes and looked outside at nothing in particular, just toward the direction the sirens were coming from.

Realizing she wasn't going to see anything she returned to the kitchen and her salad preparations. Moments later she heard the door opening and Stephanie calling out her homecoming greeting. Winnie turned as her friend came into the room, "how was your day?"

"Great, helped make a lot of futures brighter," Stephanie smiled.

Winnie smiled back at her; her roommate loved her job as a financial advisor. "Have you decided whether or not you're sticking around tonight?"

"Yep, decided a girl's night in is exactly what I need. I bought a bottle of wine on my way home as my contribution."

"Great, want a glass? I have a bottle open already?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna' go change."

"Kay," Winnie smiled as her friend left the room. She took out another wine glass and poured Stephanie a glass. She was grating some Gouda cheese to put into the salad when Stephanie returned in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and her shoulder length blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

"So how was the picnic or barbecue or whatever it was that you went to?"

"Great."

"Good."

Winnie turned to her friend feeling her penetrating eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Details, I want details."

"What details?"

"Like where you spent the night? I noticed you didn't come home." Stephanie smiled and raised her eyebrows in question.

"What are you my mother all of a sudden?"

"Nope, just your nosey roommate, come on, I deserve the details."

"Deserve?"

"Yes, who finally convinced you to take a chance? Me, that's who so I deserve the juice!"

Winnie rolled her eyes, "Boy I forgot how pushy women who claim to be your friends can be."

"Hey, that's not nice."

"It's true. Between you and Sophie Lane I'm not going to be able to keep anything private." She chuckled.

"Okay, who's Sophie and what does she know that I don't?"

"Just another nosey friend," Winnie laughed at her friend while taking a sip of her wine.

"So?"

"What?"

"Details," Stephanie stared Winnie down.

Finally Winnie sighed, "I had a very lovely evening."

Stephanie laughed out loud. "Okay that's what you tell your mother not your best friend! You tell your best friend whether or not he rocked your world, Winnie."

Winnie averted her eyes but couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face.

"You're blushing! I didn't even know that was possible!" Stephanie giggled.

Winnie looked back at her friend knowing she spoke the truth as she could feel her face getting warmer by the second.

"So, yes he did rock your world. Fantastic, it's about time!"

"Steph…"

"Winnie, this is a real cause for celebration. At least if you know, this is more than a one night thing."

"Are you suggesting I'd have a one night stand?" Winnie asked astonished her friend would imply such a thing of her.

"Well, not normally, but this is Spike. You've been thinking about him for a long long time. Are you telling me you wouldn't take one night if you knew it was all he was offering and your only chance?"

"Well…"

"Exactly, but your reaction tells me it's only the beginning." Stephanie smiled.

Winnie smiled back just as a knock sounded on their door. She went to answer it and found two of her high school friends standing on the other side, Janet and Claire. After two glasses of wine were poured and the four women sat in the living room chatting another knock sounded as their friend Diane joined the dinner party.

****FP****

After their customary hour long workout, the team quickly showered, changed into their uniforms and gathered in the briefing room for their team meeting. Greg explained to them they'd be doing patrols and divided them into three teams of two. Ed and Raf, Greg and Jules, and Spike and Sam would ride together.

"I'll grab some gear." Sam turned to him as they walked out of the room.

"Sure." Spike acknowledged his patrol partner.

"Spike, you got a minute?" he heard Ed ask.

"Yeah, sure." he wasn't looking forward to this conversation.

None the less he followed his team leader into the break room, "So, you and Winnie?" Ed wasted no time as he turned towards his team mate once they entered the room.

"Yeah."

"Spike…"

"Ed…"

"Listen, Spike, it was bad enough when I thought you were seeing Natalie Braddock, but…"

"Excuse me?" Spike cut him off.

"You heard me," Ed replied.

"Why would you care…"

"A team member dating another member's sister is a bit dicey…"

"And none of your business." Spike responded.

"I think it is if it changes the team dynamics..."

"Well, it's not an issue anyway."

"Apparently not," Ed stared the younger man down. Spike held his gaze but didn't say a word, finally Ed spoke again, "Listen, Spike, you're seeing Winnie complicates…"

"Ed, again, this really is none of your business." Spike was getting steamed, he thought he'd felt protective of Winnie the night other men had been ogling her. It was nothing compared to how he currently felt. There was no way he was going to allow Ed Lane decide who he dated and would definitely not allow his team leader to speak negatively towards their dispatcher.

"Anything that affects this team's ability to function as a unit is my business."

"Winnie's a civilian."

"She's still employed by the department." Ed countered while realizing Spike wasn't going to back down, "I would have appreciated a heads up."

Spike noticed Ed was trying to reign in his frustration but he was still pissed with what he believed was Ed's intrusion into his personal life but more so into Winnie's. "We weren't hiding it, Ed. As a matter of fact I spoke to Greg."

"You did?" Ed couldn't conceal his surprise from his teammate as much as he tried.

"Yes."

At that moment Greg Parker opened the door sticking his head into the room, "Gentleman, our public awaits."

"Yeah, sure, boss," Ed replied as Spike followed him out of the room.

As the team entered the garage Spike grabbed the key to one of the SUV's while Sam loaded their gear into the trunk. Once they were on the road Sam asked him, "You okay?"

"Yep."

"You sure? It sounded like you two were getting pretty heated in there."

Spike huffed before answering, "I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will, but that doesn't mean your thoughts aren't a little jumbled right now and your blood isn't boiling over a little." Sam smiled at his teammate.

"Listen, Sam, don't you start…"

"No, hey, Spike, I didn't mean anything…trust me, I get what you're feeling right now. What I meant was if you need to blow off some steam, I get it, let it out. You're safe with me."

"Thanks, Sam, but really, I'm okay. Just a little frustrated even though I knew it was coming."

"Trust me, I know how you feel. Hey, pull over here." Sam pointed a finger towards a crowd of teenage boys who had encircled one lone boy, "Let's check this out."

Spike pulled the truck over and the two constables exited the vehicle walking towards the group, "Hey guys, what's going on?" Sam asked them.

It wasn't lost on either of the SRU members when everyone answered the question but the boy in the middle, who had remained silent.

"Yeah, well mind if I have a chat with your friend for a minute?" Sam nodded his head toward the obviously scared kid in the middle of the group, placing a hand on the boys shoulder and steering him away from the circle.

Spike looked the remaining kids in the eyes, "So, what's going on guys?"

"Nothing," the obvious leader answered.

"Okay," Spike nodded his head, taking in the group's body language. They weren't happy to have a couple of cops stop whatever it was they'd been up to. He nonchalantly switched the microphone on his comm. device on as a precaution, "You guys don't have somewhere you need to be?" he asked.

"Spike, you guys okay?" he immediately heard Greg ask.

"Yep."

"Kay."

While he continued talking with the group, Sam continued with the single kid. "You sure you're okay?" He asked the teen while looking over at Spike when he heard his partner turn his comm. unit on.

"Yeah." the kid replied.

"What's your name?"

"Adam."

"Listen, Adam, you can tell me the truth, these guys getting ready to do some serious harm?" Sam asked.

"I'm not talkin' to you." Sam noticed the kid take a quick look back towards the gang as he became defensive.

"Hey listen it's okay to be afraid."

"I'm not."

"Alright, but it would be okay if you were and it would be okay to ask for help, too."

"I'm…"

"Yeah, I know, you're not afraid and you don't need my help. See my friend over there." Sam nodded his head towards Spike.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He's a little uncomfortable."

"Yeah, right, like a cop with a gun has reason to be afraid, how would you know if he was anyway?"

"See this earpiece I'm wearing? The minute we walked away, my partner turned his microphone on. It lets not only me know what's going on over there, but our team as well. And the minute he turned it on our boss asked him if we were okay."

The kid didn't say anything but Sam noticed he turned to look at Spike and the kids he was speaking with.

"He knows it's smart to let others know when you might find yourself in a dangerous situation. Perhaps you can make sure you're always hanging out with a buddy. You know?"

"What do you care?"

Sam sighed, "Listen, why don't you just go home or to a friend's place, my partner and I will continue chatting with your friends here for a while, give you a head start, okay?" he said when he knew he wasn't getting anywhere with the kid. Adam took his advice though and walked away. Sam watched him walking and didn't head back towards Spike until the kid rounded a corner.

****FP****

Winnie and her friends sat around the dining room table discussing who was going to host their next get together and working on their third bottle of wine when a knock sounded on the door. Stephanie rose to answer it and was quickly calling out to Winnie that there was a delivery for her.

Winnie came to the door and signed for the package while Stephanie took the square box from the delivery boy. She couldn't help but wonder why her roommate wouldn't have went to the bakery and picked up a cake if she'd purchased it for their meal, as well as wondering why Winnie hadn't mentioned having bought one to begin with.

After closing the door the two women walked back into the room with confused looks on their faces. Stephanie placed the box on the table and looked at her friend. "Open it up," Winnie suggested.

Stephanie did as she was asked and all the women looked at the square cake covered in white fondant. Air brushed onto the cake was a picture of a woman who looked curiously like Winnie with a smile on her face and holding a broom in one hand and a sack of sugar in the other. The woman's posture was that of showing off her biceps. With, "Nice Guns, really, 15 minutes?" written underneath the woman's feet.

Winnie immediately began to giggle knowing that only Spike could have sent the cake. The other women sitting at the table looked at her curiously and at one another, silently wondering which of them had ordered the cake and why they depicted Winnie in such a pose? The women continued to watch their hostess as she walked over to her purse while Stephanie had taken the same time to bring some dessert plates and a knife in from the kitchen.

Winnie pulled out her cellphone and pulled up Spike from her contact list and typed;

Thanx 4 the cake. Not nearly 15 mins.

****FP****

After chatting with the eight other teenagers for ten minutes or so the two SRU members climbed back into their black SUV and Sam watched as Spike took out his cell phone before starting the vehicle. He watched as the demolitions expert smiled and typed something before they continued their patrol in silence for fifteen minutes or so before Sam broke the silence.

"Can I ask you a question, Spike?"

"Sure." Spike replied after turning his microphone off.

"You told me a while back that you weren't in a place right now to give anyone something in terms of a relationship, and yet, you and Winnie?"

"At the time I thought I was telling you the truth, Sam, and perhaps I was. I think part of it was Natalie was pushing too hard and I was a mess. Nat's great, but she's not for me, Sam and if she were honest, she'd realize I'm not for her either. She wants someone who takes life much more seriously than I do and thinks profound thoughts most of the time. That's not who I am. Sure, I have moments of deep thought and moments of my life take on the serious, but at work I see a lot of reasons why I don't want to be that kind of person. When I take the uniform off at the end of a shift I just want to relax and have a bit of fun." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I understand," was the sniper's only response before they were dispatched to the library branch located at Dufferin and St. Clair.

****FP****

Finally Stephanie spoke up as she started to cut into the cake, "Are you going to let us in on what's going on with this?"

Winnie looked at her friends with a smile, "It's from Spike."

"Okay?" Diane answered an unspoken question written all over her face.

"That is you, right?" Janet asked pointing at the figure on the cake.

Winnie laughed, "Yes."

"Flowers would have been nice." Stephanie raised her eyebrows towards her roommate.

"Yes, but that wouldn't be Spike." Winnie shook her head.

"So why is he sending you a cake?" Diane asked.

Winnie just looked at her friend shaking her head. How could she explain Spike in a few words? So she decided on the obvious answer, "He knew I was hosting a potluck tonight."

"More importantly, why the hell are you holding a broom in your hand?" Janet questioned.

Winnie just laughed, "It's a long story and no it has nothing to do with my domestic abilities."

While the group dug into the cake in question Winnie noticed the radio was no longer playing music and the news was being reported. She decided perhaps she would turn it off and put her IPod on. Just before she reached the radio in the kitchen to turn it off the news reporter said, "…and finally, there's a hostage situation unfolding outside one of the city's public libraries. Reports say one of the police's strategic response units arrived on scene about twenty-five minutes ago and negotiations are under way."

Winnie quickly turned off the radio and rapidly made her way to the television in the combined living room/dining room, grabbing the television remote off the coffee table, turning on the television and switching to the twenty-four hour news station. Just as she suspected, the station had live coverage of the hostage situation.

She was vaguely aware of her friends gathering around watching with her. The camera man was understandably not close to the action but the camera had a powerful lens and she was easily able to make out the suspect standing in front of the library doors with an arm wrapped around a young woman's shoulders holding her against his body while Greg stood about six feet away, his hands held in front of him at shoulder level, palms open and facing the man.

He was being covered by Spike and Raf who were both in the stance Spike had taught her just that morning, the difference of course being they were each holding a real MP5 and not brooms with sugar attached and had them pointed at a real person and not just a picture plastered to a refrigerator. She slowly lowered herself onto the couch and stared at the TV in silence listening to the reporter's voice.

"…took over from the police who initially responded on scene. This is the same team we watched a few months ago during the bomb scare downtown."

"If I remember correctly the bomb was narrowly diffused by the teams bomb tech, I can't remember his name but we will look it up and have it soon." The anchorman in the studio added.

"That's correct. They are also the same team involved in the fatal shooting a few years back."

"We have the techs name, Constable Michelangelo Scarlatti. We're being informed that Constable Scarlatti is currently the team member standing closest to the team's negotiator, Sergeant Greg Parker."

The anchor continued, "Many viewers may not be aware of the city's Strategic Response Units. They are an elite force within the city's police department. There are currently six teams each comprised of six team members. Each team has at least one negotiator, a team leader who decides on the team's strategy, they have one or more snipers, one bomb tech, a forced entry specialist, and a communications expert. We've been informed that on this particular team, Constable Scarlatti wears more than one hat as he is not only the bomb tech but the communications expert and hi-tech expert as well. The team leader will usually have more than one responsibility as well, usually doubling as a sniper or maybe the entry specialist."

"That's right, Peter." The reporter confirmed, "I'd also like to point out that these units are more than swat teams. Most swat teams handle drug raids and high risk warrants. The SRU as its known does all that but will also always be called in for all high risk police calls and all hostage situations. All the members are Constables first class with one exception, that being the Sergeant. However, when the SRU is on scene, all of their members outrank all other police members at the scene in order for them to take charge."

Winnie tuned the reporter and anchor out when she realized the man holding the hostage had a gun in his free hand. His arm was hanging loose at his side beside his thigh. She couldn't believe the team had arrived on scene approximately half an hour earlier which meant Spike and Raf had been in their stance for close to the same length of time. She remembered her experience back in Spike's kitchen and how quickly she'd tired. She leaned her elbows on her knees and brought her hands up to her mouth. Her heart was racing. She couldn't take her eyes off of Spike. It felt as though her heart was in her throat.

The reporter and anchorman became quiet, allowing all viewers to take in the scene as it was unfolding. She could hear Greg's voice but couldn't make out what he was saying. In her head Winnie could almost hear the team's voices. With Spike standing beside Greg, she assumed Jules would be in the truck with both Sam and Ed taking up a sniper position somewhere. There would be chatter going on. Sam and Ed would both be letting Greg know if they were in position or not. Jules, if they knew the suspects name, would be forwarding personal information about the subject to Greg, and whoever was on shift as a dispatcher would also be providing background information or letting the team know if any other first responders such as an ambulance had been dispatched. She decided that although she had always had a hard time listening without the advantage of seeing what was going on, at this very moment she'd rather be at work listening to what was happening. Seeing it without hearing all the details was killing her. The worry and fear she felt was killing her.

She barely hear the reporter as he broke into the silence, "…this particular team has one of only two female members of the SRU, Juliann Callahan, she's a sniper and is second negotiator. The Unit also employs one female dispatcher, we don't as of yet have her name."

She tuned the man out again and continued to watch as Spike and Raf stood stalk still. She didn't know how they could do it. Earlier that morning as she pretending to be doing the very job they were currently doing, her arms had begun to shake within minutes, which had led to her concentration being shot.

She took in a sharp breathe when she saw the suspect raise his gun and hold it against the young woman's head. She was barely aware of her friends who were also shocked into sound. Stephanie and Diane had also taken in a sharp breath while Janet covered her eyes and Claire said, "Oh my God."

Winnie sat in awe as she continued to stare at Spike who hadn't so much as flinched at the man's hostile move. She assumed Raf hadn't reacted either but couldn't be sure as she only had eyes for Spike. She had half expected to hear a shot ring out and the man fall to the ground but when that hadn't happened she assumed Greg was still trying to talk the man down and hadn't called scorpio. Her attention was diverted though when she noticed Greg's arms moving again.

She looked at the subject, he was obviously escalating, he was shouting which resulted in his face contorting and getting red, and the hand which held the gun was now waving around instead of held against the woman's head. Winnie looked at her; she looked so young and scared. She figured she was more a girl really rather than a woman, perhaps an older teen.

The angry man held his gun wielding arm straight up into the air above his head while continuing to shout. Her attention was caught by a sudden movement by Spike. It had been so sudden it shocked her but it was also barely noticeable. She wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been staring at him so intently. Suddenly the sound of gunfire rang out and Winnie was on her feet as a loud bang was simultaneously heard coming from her television. She only had one response as she watched Spike, Greg, and Raf fly through the air and slam against the command truck and then fall to the ground.

"OH MY, GOD, NO!"


	16. Chapter 16

Winnie didn't remember getting to her feet but that's how she found herself while continuing to stare at her television. She didn't notice Raf slowly managed to get to his feet with the help of Jules who had excited from the command truck. She also failed to notice Greg was talking a mile a minute, as she was only watching Spike who continued to lie on the ground beside one of the truck's back tires. Her stomach was churning over and over as she slowly comprehended not only had he not gotten up, but his body still lay motionless.

The next thing she witnessed was Greg kneeling beside her new found lover, taking off one of his gloves and pressing a couple of his fingers to the side of Spike's neck. Checking for a pulse she assumed. Her breath hitched and tears welled in her eyes as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

The next thing she knew the camera panned to the subject and his hostage. The young girl was being attended to by a member of the regular force while the subject was being handcuffed by Sam who promptly handed him over to another member of the force. She was vaguely aware of the news reporter's voice.

"…meanwhile Constable Scarlatti has not moved since he and the others were thrown over two minutes ago. We saw Sergeant Parker feel for his pulse a few moments ago, we have to assume he found one since a sense of calm has come over the other members.

"Oh god, Maria!"

"Who?" Janet asked looking at Winnie.

"Maria, Spike's sister. I need the phone."

Stephanie hurriedly brought her their cordless phone which sat on the end table beside the couch. Winnie took it from her roommate and dialed before placing it against her ear. She waited a few moments before she finally spoke, "Sidney, its Winnie. Do you have a quick moment?" she asked her fellow dispatcher knowing how busy he would be.

"If you make it quick," Was the male dispatcher's response.

"Have you checked Spike's file?"

"Yeah, he still has both his parents listed as next of kin." He replied, somehow knowing Winnie's train of thought.

"He has a sister here. Her name is Maria, I'm not sure of her last name. She's a kindergarten teacher and lives on Rosemont Crescent. Her husband's name is Stephen."

"I'm on it. We'll find her. Thanks, Winnie."

"How is he?" she asked.

"Not sure. He's unconscious; Greg says his pulse is strong though."

"Thank God," she commented as she continued to watch her TV screen as a couple of paramedics had Spike on a backboard and were transferring him to a stretcher.

"I'll let you go." She said just before she hung up the phone and continued to watch as a couple of other paramedics were each checking out the now standing Greg as well as Raf. The both seemed okay, but it looked like they too were going to be transported via an ambulance to the hospital. Just as the two medics looking after Spike were raising his stretcher Ed walked into the shot. He was carrying a sniper rifle and a backpack which Sam promptly took from him and walked away. She assumed Sam was putting the equipment away for the sniper.

By this time the stretcher was behind the ambulance waiting to be placed inside. She watched as Ed said something to Jules who stood on the other side of the stretcher holding one of Spike's hands in hers. Then he said something to one of the paramedics before leaning down and saying something to the still motionless Spike.

Winnie continued to stare as the stretcher was expertly placed into the ambulance and one of the paramedics climbed in as well while the other one and Jules each slammed each of the vehicles doors closed. Then Jules and Ed both stood watching as the ambulance raced away. Once the vehicle was gone Ed placed an arm around Jules and brought her towards him for a brief embrace, knowing the teams dynamics she could hear Ed in her head telling Jules that Spike was going to be fine.

"I've gotta go," Winnie stated.

"How, we've all been drinking?" Claire asked.

"I'll call a cab," she said as she dialed a number into the phone she still held in her hand. She quickly asked for a taxi and gave the dispatcher her address explaining she was going the hospital but wasn't sure of which one just yet.

After she hung up she quickly called Sidney at headquarters again, "Hi, Sid, it's Winnie again. Where are they taking Spike?"

"Western."

"Kay, any news yet?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Did you get a hold of Maria?"

"Yes, a uniform is picking her up."

"Good, thanks, Sidney."

****FP****

Ed, Sam and Jules stood in the waiting room patiently waiting for news on their three teammates. While it was believed on scene that Raf and Greg were fine they were each being assessed by a doctor as a precaution.

Jules was the first to notice Raf walking towards them, "Hey, so you're okay?"

"Yeah, the doctor said I'll probably be sore tomorrow but nothing some Advil won't take care of."

"Excellent." Ed replied placing a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Do they know what happened yet?" Raf asked.

"Some sort of gas leak. Spike must have sensed it." Sam answered.

"Yeah," Raf shook his head just as Greg joined the group.

"You okay, Boss?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, got a headache, any word on Spike yet?"

"Nope." Jules answered.

"Let's find some chairs." Greg suggested just as Ed's cellphone rang.

While the group sat down, Ed walked away as he answered his phone. Within minutes he was back with the group taking a seat beside Greg. "Wordy," he informed his mates. "He just saw footage of it on the news says it looked pretty bad."

The gang sat for almost twenty minutes chatting quietly amongst themselves waiting for their own news while ignoring the curious glances from the other people sitting in the waiting room. They were used to that sort of behaviour from members of the public, with the exception of Raf, who rarely walked around in his full uniform while not performing official duties. Even then however, the public was curious, especially when the group was together as they were now waiting for information of their teammate's welfare.

They only had to wait for a few more minutes before a man wearing a white lab coat approached them. "You must be Constable Scarlatti's co-workers."

Greg rose to his feet and extended his hand, "Sergeant Greg Parker," he said while the others stood taking guard behind him.

"Doctor Conrad."

"How is he?" Jules pushed through the formalities.

The doctor came across this sort of worried impatience on a daily basis and without missing a beat answered her question. "He's awake." The doctor noticed all of the SRU members show signs of relief at his statement so hated having to continue on, "But wasn't able to tell us his name, today's date, or his badge number." He watched as the policemen and policewoman absorbed his words.

"You said wasn't." Greg stated.

"There's every possibility he's remembered by now, but we've sent him for x-rays and an MRI; most likely he's suffering from a concussion which is causing his memory lapse. He's complaining of a headache and almost immediately vomited upon coming around. A concussion can lead to confusion and temporary memory loss. Do you know if he hit his head?"

Greg sighed, "No. All I know is he took most of the blunt force. When I was thrown into the truck half my body hit it while the other half slammed against him."

"Me, too." Raf offered.

"He's also complaining of a sore shoulder." The doctor said.

"So we continue to wait?" Greg asked.

"Correct. We'll let you know the minute we know anything. Does he have family in the area?"

"He has a sister, she's on her way."

"Thank you, like I said, we'll keep you updated once we have more information. If his sister wants to talk to me let the nurse know and she'll page me."

"Okay, thank you, Doc." Greg said.

The group sat back down and not a single one of them said a word, as they were all lost in their own thoughts. Moments later Greg noticed a petite worried looking woman enter the hospital waiting room being escorted by a Toronto Police Constable and rose to his feet walking up to the pair.

"Maria?"

"Yes."

"I'm Sergeant Gregory Parker."

"How is he?" she asked.

Greg nodded to the young constable who discreetly walked away. Greg placed his hand on Maria's elbow and gently guided her to sit and then softly explained what the doctor had just finished telling them. He felt terrible having to give her the news. She looked so frightened and lost and as with Spike, Greg was very conscious of the fact that this woman had just lost not only her father but essentially her mother as well. She thanked him after he told her what he knew and sat waiting any more news the medical staff could give them.

****FP****

Winnie walked through the sliding doors leading into Toronto Western Hospital's Emergency room and quickly looked around. It wasn't hard to find her co-workers. They were huddled in a corner looking very somber. Right away she noticed Maria sitting sandwiched between Greg and Ed looking even smaller than she was sitting next to the SRU members in their full gear.

Ed was the first one to notice her and began walking towards her. "How is he?" she asked him as he came to a standstill in front of her, noticing as Greg also stood and started walking towards them.

"They've taken him for X-ray's and an MRI."

She didn't like his answer; she could tell there was something he wasn't saying. "Ed, what's wrong?" she asked just as Greg joined them, "Is he awake yet?"

Ed placed both of his hands on her elbows giving them each a small squeeze, "Yes, but there's a problem, Winnie." He said, the tenderness of his voice started her heart racing more so than his actual words.

She looked between the two leaders standing in front of her not liking their somberness. "Please tell me what's going on," she begged.

Greg sighed, "I've got it, Eddie." Ed nodded his head and retraced his steps back to his seat. "Winnie, he's awake but his doctor says he was unable to tell them his name or birthdate."

"Oh no!" Winnie shook her head back and forth while looking deep into Greg's eyes drawing strength from them.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I just want to apologize for making everyone wait for this chapter. When I'm stressed writing just doesn't come for me, so there really hasn't been any writing going on for a few weeks now. For those who sent out emails and messages asking how I was doing, a big thank-you. Your concern and friendship have meant a lot to me. My brother is doing well and is now home from the hospital, his surgery went very well. He didn't let any of us know how very close he was to deaths door, and perhaps that was a good thing, I had a hard enough time dealing with my emotions as it was, even being sent home early from work on two occasions because I just couldn't concentrate with not knowing what was going on with my big brother. Thankfully he was given top priority when it was learned how very ill he was!

A/N2: As well as my brother and his health issue. I had to take time for my producing a youth theater production and also took a few weeks to enjoy the Canadian Men and Women's Canadian Curling Championship. So, thanks for holding on and hopefully the story will have quicker updates once again.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Spike found himself propped up on the bed in Jules' guest bedroom. He was mildly perturbed because this was the result of the doctor not allowing him to be discharged from the hospital unless he'd been assured that Spike would not be alone for at least the next twenty-four hours. Of course everyone who'd still been at the hospital at that time had offered their home up to him, but he would have preferred to go home to his own bed, but knew from the look on his doctor's face that that was not going to happen. It also made more sense to stay with someone else instead of going home to his; if he was going to disrupt someone else's life then the least he could do was allow them the comforts of their own home. He had tried to argue that he felt fine and didn't need babysitting, but the doctor insisted, and had informed him that he would admit Spike if he didn't have someone with him, because of his concussion he would have to be woken up every three or four hours during the night to make sure he could remember who he was and there weren't any signs that his condition was worsening. Sudden movements also made him feel dizzy which had the doctor a little concerned about his being alone as well, so the doctor's decision was final.<p>

That's when the real fun began. Greg, Jules, Winnie, and his sister Maria had still been at the hospital at this point. He'd been a little confused by this group, why had they remained? Greg, he understood as his commanding officer, would wait to know what his diagnosis was and how long, if any, he'd be out of commission? As it turned out Spike had been told by his doctor he'd more than likely be off work between six and ten weeks, although with a concussion it could take longer to recover. He also had a separated shoulder which was the main reason for the ten week time line. He'd require physical therapy after a few weeks of purely rest.

Then there was Jules, he wondered why she hadn't gone back to headquarters with the rest of the team about thirty minutes prior to his release? As it turned out Greg had also been thrown in the apparent blast and the team decided someone should stay behind in order to give him a ride back to headquarters.

The real puzzle though had been Winnie. At first he couldn't figure out why she had come to the hospital let alone to Jules' home. The two women were currently downstairs in the kitchen making tea. However, he'd slowly began to remember they had begun dating and were moving a little slow, the result of their conflicting schedules more so rather than his desire. He remembered going to dinner with the team and picking her up before hand, going out for coffee with her afterward and driving her home, and wanting to kiss her but he hadn't. He remembered being at her apartment and kissing her for the first time and loving her lips. They were soft and plump, every bit as kissable as Lou had predicted they'd be. There had been another moment in her apartment where they could have gone much further than a chaste kiss if Winnie's roommate hadn't come home. He remembered picking her up to attend the team picnic and necking with her in his truck, but that was where his memory became foggy. He remembered bits and pieces of the day, chatting with Raf, playing Frisbee with the two teenage boys and Wordy's two oldest girls, but that was about it. It scared him that the barbecue occurred over twenty-four hours earlier and he couldn't remember most of it or anything after it. Almost an entire day of his life was gone; he had no recollection of getting home after the barbecue or waking up, going to work or even his work day. Couldn't remember any of the teams calls. One minute he'd been standing talking to Ed on a beach with Izzy in his arms and the next he was laying in a hospital bed with some doctor asking him what his name was. He hadn't known. It had taken about forty minutes for him to remember his name, birth date and what day it currently was. For a while he'd been confused because the doctor and nurses kept asking him his badge number, he had no idea what they were talking about. Roughly half an hour after he remembered his name he also remembered he was a constable with the Toronto Police Department working with the SRU unit. That's when he discovered he had a burning need to see his sister, who he was assured was in the hospital and he could see her once his x-rays and MRI results were back. He hadn't known why he had such a fear for her? He had a feeling of panic in regards to her experiencing any anxiety when it came to his well-being. Then he remembered; his father was gone and his mother had moved back to Italy so Maria was alone, well she had a family, but if anything happened to him, well he preferred not to think about it and for those reasons Maria was the first person he'd asked about and was the first person who had been allowed to visit him.

He felt immense guilt when she walked into the room and he could witness for himself the relief on her face, she'd immediately come to his bed and hugged him on his uninjured side, well his less injured side. His right shoulder may be separated and immobilized in a sling, but his entire ribcage was killing him, the doctor assured him he had no broken bones but he'd more than likely end up with some ugly bruises and those deep bruises would result in a lot of discomfort and perhaps even shortness of breath.

Maria had offered to take the following day off work and have Spike come to her home so she could care for him. He'd objected; the idea that she would have to disrupt her life didn't sit well with him. They agreed her kids could pose an interesting obstacle to his recovery, the doctor explained to everyone that it would be best if Spike had a quiet restful environment in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours to help expedite his recovery. Concussion victims, he went on to explain, could feel overwhelmed with a lot of stimulation even experiencing panic attacks if feeling overwhelmed. As much as he loved his niece and nephew, and as well behaved as they were, both he and Maria knew it wouldn't be fair to them to have their Uncle Mike around and not be able to act their normal selves around him, so he would not go home with her.

The next to come into the room to see him had been Greg, who also offered to bring him home and look after him for the next day or two, just until he felt comfortable on his feet and had managed to get accustomed to being left handed. Spike had thanked him but reminded his boss that he lived in a small two bedroom apartment where he already had Dean living with him. He insisted he didn't want to put him out. While Greg vowed he wouldn't be putting them out he did agreed to Spike's not coming home with him only when he knew he did have a place to go and someone to look after him.

When Greg had left the room, Jules and Winnie entered. He couldn't help but smile at them. The worry mixed with relief on Jules' face brought a pang of guilt to his senses, but he smiled because the mixture on her face made her look like she was sixteen years old. She too had approached his hospital bed and embraced him on his uninjured side. Just like Greg, she was still in her full tactical gear making him believe the team had come directly to the hospital and not back to headquarters after whatever accident had occurred, Jules had told him Ed, Sam, and Raf had returned to the barn once they were all assured Spike's memory was returning. They would do a mini-debrief and Ed would write up the report. She also informed him that his Kevlar vest and side arm had been released into Greg's custody and he in turn had given them to Ed who would house them in their weapons depot until his return to duty. At the mention of his side arm his right arm instinctually tried to move to the holster still nestled on his thigh but the sling prevented it and the pain that shot through him made him wince. Jules immediately apologized and he heard Winnie's intake of breathe. He opened his eyes and looked into her dark ones. The worry and concern he saw melted his heart. She was scared, but of what he wasn't sure?

The next thing he knew Winnie was standing in the doorway of the bedroom bringing him out of his memories of the hospital. He placed the current addition of MacLean's magazine on the bedside table figuring it was just as well anyway since reading was beyond his capabilities at the moment.

"Hey?" The word came out like a question, which he hadn't intended.

"How you feeling?" she asked as she came into the room carrying a couple of mugs with her. She placed one down beside the magazine he'd just put down.

"Is that for me?" he asked, not able to comprehend why there was an awkward undercurrent sizzling between them.

"Yeah." she took a sip of her own drink.

"Coffee?" He eyed the mug suspiciously.

"Tea. Jules decided to keep you off coffee until at least tomorrow morning."

"What, she's my physician now?" he teased furrowing his brows at the steaming liquid.

"She's concerned you need your rest and she thinks caffeine will keep you awake."

He looked up and caught the concern in the dispatcher's eyes. He patted the mattress beside his left thigh, "Sit with me."

He continued to watch her as she did as he asked and suppressed a wince and groan when the mattress shifted under her weight, sending a sharp pain through his shoulder. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Eight-thirty."

"Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" He knew he'd said the wrong thing and wanted to take his words back when he saw a flash of hurt pass through her eyes.

"I'll be heading out soon. I just wanted to check up on you. See if you need anything." She explained.

He reached out and took her free hand in his. "I'm not suggesting you leave, I just…"

"It's okay, Spike."

He stayed silent a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, Winnie, I get the feeling I'm forgetting something about us. There is an us, right?"

"Yes." She answered shyly, barely meeting his gaze.

He let out a sigh, "Good. Will I be graced with visits while I'm laid up then?"

She smiled, "Of course, as often as you wish."

He smiled in kind, "Often, if you don't mind."

"Okay. So…how far back do you remember exactly?"

"Um…I remember we went to the team picnic together and Wordy and Shelly caught us necking like a couple of teenagers." He smiled and was happy when she returned it. He still held her hand in his and his thumb began to caress the back of her hand.

"Is that it?"

"No, I remember different moments, like playing Frisbee, chatting with Clark while eating, and holding little Izzy in my arms while talking with Ed."

"Nothing else?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Nope, except…umm…I do remember Greg making some sort of speech, but I have no idea what he said." He frowned. "I can't help but feel what he said was important, at least to me. Do you know what was said?" he asked her.

"No, sorry," Winnie replied, "That's it, you don't remember anything else?"

"No. The doctor said everything may return over the next few days, or perhaps not at all." He shrugged his one good shoulder.

"Does that upset you?"

"Yeah, it's scary to lose practically an entire day of my life. I mean, today is a total mystery. I don't remember waking up, going for my daily jog, our team work out, the meeting, any of our calls…it's just…well disturbing. I feel hollow."

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help."

"You can."

"How?"

"Just by being here," He let go of her hand and reached for the tea Winnie had brought up to him, resulting in an intake of breathe and a wince as he brought his hand and are into his side hoping to ease the pain.

"Here." Winnie said while lifting the mug and giving it to him.

"Thanks." He said before taking a sip. His face immediately contorted as he forced the hot liquid down, "I thought you said this was tea?"

"It is its chamomile."

"It's terrible."

"It helps induce relaxation." She explained.

"It's still terrible and no self-respecting man would be caught dead drinking it." He handed the mug back to her and watched as she placed it back on the small table beside the bed. There was an underlying sadness in her eyes and it bothered him knowing his concern went deeper than a friend and didn't understand why.

"Well…" Winnie looked at her watch, "I should be heading out, and I need to be at work early in the morning."

"Okay."

"Do you need anything before I go?"

"Yes."

"What?" she asked while getting to her feet and looking at the duffel bag his sister had packed earlier in the evening for him from his own home.

He caught her hand in his and as firmly as he could which, given his current state wasn't very firm, pulled her back onto the bed beside him, "A kiss."

He couldn't help but return the smile that broke out across her lips.

"I think I can manage that." She replied while leaning towards him.

When their lips met Spike was shocked by the jolt of electric excitement that shot through his body. He wanted to reach for her and pull her closer to him, but his body and damaged arm wouldn't allow it. So he did the only thing he felt he could and brought his good hand up placing it on the side of her throat which brought a moan to her lips.

"Winnie," he groaned against her lips. His spoken word brought an end to their rather heated kiss, something which disappointed him immensely.

"Do me a favour?" she asked.

"Okay."

"Rest and don't give Jules a hard time." She smiled at him.

"Would I do that?" he asked.

"Something tells me, yes you would."

"She's going to be a pain, you know." He stated.

"She cares about you."

"She gonna be a pest." He countered again.

"Maybe so, but she'll mean well."

When he didn't respond she became serious again, "And from what I hear, Sam's spending the night, so if you need help, don't hesitate to use him."

"Help…help with what?"

"I don't know, going to the little boys room…"

"I'm not going to…"

She cut him off, "Okay, but don't try and go downstairs without his help."

"Winnie, I'll be okay."

"Spike, you became dizzy when you got out of the wheelchair at the hospital, dizzy whey you got out of the truck here, dizzy when you stood up from Jules' couch, and dizzy again when you were halfway up the stairs. If you need his help, ask for it."

Seeing her determination Spike decided to give in to her demands, "Okay."

"Promise!"

"On two conditions."

"Which are?"

"You come and visit me tomorrow…"

"Okay, and?"

"You kiss me again." He smiled.

"You drive a hard bargain Michelangelo Scarlatti."

"I'm not giving up either."

"Well, if you insist," she replied and before he could say another word they were embroiled once again in a passionate kiss that set his blood boiling. They said their goodnights with a couple more minutes of stolen kisses.

Ten minutes after she'd left Sam entered the room. "You okay, Spike?"

"Yeah."

"You need anything?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Okay, I'll be in Jules' bedroom if you change your mind."

"Kay, should I knock before entering?" he teased.

"Not anytime soon. Jules is driving Winnie home, but later tonight it might be a good idea." Sam smiled.

"Maybe we can call Jules and ask her to pick me up some earplugs."

"Funny, Spike."

Spike returned his friends smile.

****FP****

Half an hour later, Winnie found herself back home offering Jules a cup of tea after the SRU member had driven her home from her house.

"No, I'm okay, thanks."

"Water?"

"No. Hey this is a nice apartment, how old is this place?"

Winnie looked around her turn of the century home, "I'm not sure, eighty, ninety years maybe."

"It's nice. The crown moulding is awesome."

Winnie smiled at her friend remember how Jules had loved renovating her home. She rarely thought about her apartment but her friend's words brought back memories of her and Stephanie finding this place. They had fallen in love with the Victorian charm of the house; the woodwork had obviously been done with the loving hands of a master craftsman.

"Hey, Winnie, how's Spike?" Stephanie asked as she came into the room.

Winnie looked at her roommate, "He's okay. Sorry I had to take off like that."

"No worries." Stephanie glanced at Jules before continuing on, "Your friends helped clean up before they left. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Oh, this is Jules, Jules, my roommate Stephanie."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Jules nodded her head at the other woman.

"You too," Stephanie smiled, "well, I was just getting a glass of water." She left the room for the kitchen and quickly went to her room once she'd accomplished her goal.

"You sure you're okay?" Jules asked.

"Yeah." Winnie nodded.

"You don't sound very reassuring."

Winnie let out a sigh, "I'm just concerned."

"Winnie, try not to worry too much, he'll be okay. Rehabilitation can work wonders these days."

"I know…it's just…" Winnie let her words fall as she looked towards her window. She couldn't help but feel hurt that Spike's memory had robbed him of their lovemaking not only the night before, but also that very morning. She knew it wasn't fair to feel that way, but she was only human and it hurt.

She couldn't also help but fear that perhaps he wouldn't want to be intimate with her again. However, the kisses they'd shared only minutes prior to her departure from Jules' home spoke otherwise. Those kisses had proven the spark was still there. She tried to console herself with the thought that at least he seemed to remember they were attracted to one another and had begun dating.

"Does he remember you two?" Jules asked bringing her friend out of her own thoughts.

"Yes."

"But?" Jules asked.

"But what?" Winnie questioned.

"Something's bothering you."

Winnie turned and looked at her friend, "What if he doesn't ever remember?" she asked.

"It's only a little over twenty-four hours he's lost. That's not so bad, is it?"

Winnie once again turned to look out the window while crossing her arms in front of her chest and hugging herself.

Watching her friends body language realization donned on Jules. Winnie and Spike had had a palpable chemistry at the picnic, everybody had not only seen it, but felt it as well. There had been an energy of anticipation about them. Jules hadn't thought much about it, but now with Winnie's reaction to Spike's memory lose; it made sense. That anticipation had been sexual in nature. She deduced that her friends had more than likely shared their first sexual encounter after the team picnic and that's why Winnie was still upset despite everyone else's euphoria about Spike having regained most of his memory.

"Oh, Winnie, I'm sorry." She said as she sat on the couch not taking her eyes off of her friend. "At least he still remembers you guys have gotten closer, right?" She hoped to remind Winnie of the positives.

Winnie looked at Jules, "Yes." She nodded.

"That's good, right?"

"Yes. I just wish…" Winnie's words fell short. "I don't know." She sighed.

"I do." Julies replied, "Everybody wants their partner to remember their first time?" She met Winnie's gaze, "You two did finally become intimate last night?" she questioned.

Winnie just nodded her head. The two sat in silence for a few moments. Jules felt for her friend. She knew she'd feel somehow robbed of something special if Sam couldn't remember their first time making love. She couldn't help but feel compelled to console her friend.

"There is a silver lining here; it's kind of a win/win situation."

"Really, how's that?" Winnie asked.

"Well…if Spike regains that particular memory, that's great, if he doesn't, well you get to have a do over. He just might believe you're the best first time he's ever had. I mean, I'm sure you've gained some knowledge on some of his particular likes, you just might blow his socks off." Jules smiled.

Winnie chuckled, "Rock his world, as my roommate would say. You're so optimistic."

"Why not, Spike would be." Jules stated.

Winnie actually laughed at this statement, "Isn't that the truth."

"He likes to believe in the good." Jules conceded.

"It's one of the things I love about him." This time Winnie's smile was full and wistful.

"Love, huh?" Jules watched as her friend squirmed a little at her latest words.

Again silence reigned for a while before Jules continued, "Does he know?"

"Know what?" Winnie asked.

"That you're in love with him?"

Winnie shook her head, "I'm not…"

"Oh please…don't try to deny it, Winnie."

Again silence.

"Of course he doesn't know. It's a little early for such declarations."

"If you say so," Jules shrugged her shoulders.

"I do." Winnie stated flatly before changing the subject, "So, do they know what happened?"

"Apparently a couple of city employees were carrying out routine maintenance on some lines and didn't properly shut off a valve, resulting in a slow leak. The gun shot set off a spark which resulted in the blast."

"I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head."

"What image?"

"Of Spike, Greg, and Raf flying through the air, it was surreal and scary."

"You saw it?"

"Yeah, it was on live TV."

"Oh…and you were watching?"

"Yeah, I had some friend over for a pot luck dinner, the radio mentioned a hostage situation and the SRU was on the scene. I remembered Spike's sister mentioning she watched the Kaniski bombing scare on live TV so I turned mine on and sure enough, there was Greg trying to talk the guy down."

"I bet that was different for you?"

"Different?" Winnie asked.

"Yeah, normally you can hear and not see, this would have been the opposite."

"It was hard," Winnie shook her head. "It was harder. I couldn't take my eyes off of Spike. I was transfixed on him. A split second before the blast he moved."

"He did?"

"Yep, looked like he was maybe taking a hand off his weapon, or turning his head? I don't remember exactly, just that he ever so slightly moved."

"Huh…he actually was talking at the time."

"He was?" Winnie knew that Spike rarely spoke during hostage negotiations, if and when he did it was for a good reason."

"We think he knew about the leak. He just finished saying, boss I…then came the blast. We believe he smelt the gas and was about to tell Greg."

****FP****

Within an hour Jules was back home and was snuggled in bed with Sam. She spent the evening waking Spike up every four or five hours and was relieved when each time he was able to tell her his name and how many fingers he was holding up. She was also happy to have the following day off not realizing how tired waking up repeatedly during the night would leave her the following day.

Spike ended up spending the following evening at Jules' home, as well, although this time he was allowed to sleep through the evening without having her pester him during the night. During his last day at her home, he only had one dizzy spell when he stood up too quickly after having been sitting for a couple of hours.

He still didn't regain his lost memory and found it upsetting although he kept this to himself. He was just happy to be going home and having the luxury of privacy. Jules and Sam both drove in her jeep with him with a stop at headquarters where he was greeted by everyone with smiles and embraces. Winnie had a huge smile on her face when she saw them enter the building. He quickly made his way into the locker room and retrieved his keys and returned to the front desk where Troy, Donna, Jules and Sam were standing chatting with Winnie. He exchanged pleasantries with his fellow team mates and everyone seemed to wander away after a few minutes, leaving Winnie and him some private time. She would be getting off shift in a couple of hours and it was decided she'd come over to his place for dinner. After making their arrangements, he handed his keys to Sam who would be driving his vehicle to his house for him while he rode in Jules' jeep with her.

When he arrived home, he did some very light housekeeping duties and listened to his voice mail messages. To his astonishment their real estate agent had called just hours before letting him know there was an offer on his mother's home. This was an interesting development he was thinking to himself when he picked up the phone and dialed her number.


	18. Chapter 18

Winnie woke the following Sunday and quickly set about cleaning her apartment and then showering. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, blew dry her hair and finally decided on a little lip gloss, eyeliner, and mascara before heading out the door to pick Spike up for a dinner at her parents. The whole idea of bringing Spike home to meet her family had her stomach in knots. She had no idea what they would think of him and also what would Spike think of them? As she drove through the streets of Toronto she reminisced about what the previous week had been like.

Her shifts had been normal, day shift was being presided over by Teams One, Two, and Five, there was the regular armed robberies in progress, a couple of high risk warrants being served, a prisoner transfer, one hostage situation at Pearson International Airport, and a manhunt for an escaped prisoner that Teams One and Five ended up working together to apprehend.

Her evenings, while filled with an almost over abundance of sexual tension, were wonderful and she wouldn't change them for anything. When she arrived at Spike's late in the afternoon each day the two would set about making dinner together. These moments were challenging since most of the kitchens utensils, small appliances, pots and pan had either been sold or were packed away awaiting Spike's eventual move, which whether or not he was fully prepared would be happening in six weeks; as the offer on the house that had come earlier in the week had been accepted and the papers signed.

However, making dinner each night together had a lovely domestic feeling to it that she could easily find herself getting very used to. While chopping, stirring, slicing, and baking, Spike would regale her with stories involving himself and his friend Jeff during their high school days. She learned the two had met in grade nine but Jeff was a year older than Spike since spike had skipped grade three, and the two had remained close even when Spike had yet again skipped a grade, grade eleven, and she learned Jeff owned a local neighbourhood bookstore.

She especially liked hearing stories about Spike and Lewis; they were happy stories and would always bring a soft easy smile to Spike's lips, an expression Winnie loved to see.

While making dinner there were also many opportunities for loving touches and kisses, lots of kisses. They remained rather innocent however, since Spike's injuries proved to be rather taxing on him physically. After dinner, Winnie always insisted on doing the clean up by herself, allowing Spike to settle himself on his sofa after setting the coffee to brew. Once she tidied up she would join him with a cup for each of them and snuggle into his side while watching television. She quickly learned that Spike preferred to watch the five-thirty local news followed by the six o'clock national news cast.

They occasionally watched Jeopardy giving Winnie a chance to discover just how intelligent Spike was, as he rarely answered a question wrong. She also discovered Spike enjoyed the navy crime show NCIS and he would have the mystery solved fairly early in the program. On Thursday evening Spike insisted they watch The Big Bang Theory, a show she'd never watched. She quickly understood the draw of the show for Spike. It was essentially a sitcom centering on a handful of friends, four male and one female. The four men were highly intelligent with one being a genius and the woman had the street smarts the men seemed to lack. She imagined Spike empathised with the men, especially the awkward genius who accelerated in academia but not so much with human relations.

The sexual tension in the evenings stemmed not from the lack of time or privacy to indulge in any carnal pleasures, as was the case when they first started dating, but lie in Spike's injuries getting in the way. The logistics of his separated shoulder left few positions available as putting any type of pressure on the shoulder caused great pain, his bruised ribcage however left full intercourse off the table. Just walking up or down a flight of stairs left him short of breath. The idea of accelerated breathing brought on by sexual escapades was out of the question.

There was also the fact that he was taking some heavy duty pain killers as well, with the dose taken with supper making him drowsy by eight-thirty in the evening. That's when Winnie would say her goodbyes and go home, while Spike would retire for the evening.

After dinner on Friday evening they sat on Spike's sofa with a cup of coffee each while Jeopardy played on the television, neither of them had paid much attention to the show however. They had each taken a section of the classifieds from the newspaper and searched for an apartment for Spike to rent.

In the beginning Spike had found the search rather daunting, but had finally narrowed the search down to a couple of neighbourhoods, helping to streamline the list of available places and he ended up having three places lined up to look at for Saturday morning.

When Winnie had finished looking over her section of the paper, having circled only a couple of potential places, she placed the paper and pen on the coffee table, picked up her coffee mug and snuggled back into the couch drawing her legs up and tucking her feet underneath her. She continued to watch him as he sat hunched over the paper which lay on the coffee table, as he circled an ad, he had suddenly stopped in mid-circle. He literally froze and continued to stare at the paper.

She remembered asking him if he was okay. He hadn't replied immediately so she nudged him. When he turned he had a look of pleasant shock on his face. It was then that he informed her he had a memory. He remembered the team at the picnic standing around Greg who made a speech and had very nice things to say about every one of them, personal sort of things. With the words he'd said to Spike being the most personal. He told her he had spoken in Italian. Also telling her he was pretty sure no one else on the team spoke Italian so it had also been a private moment between the two with the entire team standing, watching, listening, and surely not understanding.

She'd been extremely happy for him. How could she not have been? His eyes twinkled and his smile revealed those lovely dimples of his. He'd been ecstatic with the memory. After a few minutes he'd asked her what was wrong? She lied to him when she'd replied nothing. She was happy for him but she still grieved the fact that he couldn't remember their lovemaking the previous weekend.

**FP**

"You ready?" Winnie asked as she walked into the side door of Spike's home into the kitchen.

"Yep." He smiled at her. A smile that still could send her pulse into over drive.

"Kay lets go."

**FP**

Winnie pulled up to her parent's home and parked along the curb. She and Spike exited her vehicle and she tried and walked up to the front door of the beige coloured sided two story home with its blue shutters and matching coloured garage door.

She turned to him and asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah." He shook his head in the affirmative.

She pushed on the door handle and entered the home with Spike on her heels. "Hey, mom, we're here." She called out.

Spike took in his surroundings. Straight ahead were a couple of mirrored sliding doors which he assumed was a closet. To the right of that was a doorway leading further into the home. To their right was a carpeted stairway leading to the upper level of the house and to their immediate left was the living room. The home smelled fresh, a mixture of floral scents and household cleaners. Suddenly a rather beautiful older version of Winnie appeared in the doorway to the right of those mirrored doors.

"Winnie." The woman smiled.

"Mom," Spike watched as the dispatcher embraced the older woman.

Turning toward him Winnie began to introduce them. "Mom, this is Spike, Spike this…" but she was cut off by the older woman.

"Spike…I don't think…" her words trailed off.

Spike felt he understood her thought process and stuck out his left hand towards the woman as the sling holding his right arm prevented him from shaking her hand with his right one, "Spike's a nickname. I'm Mike." He offered.

The woman took his hand in hers, "Mike, nice to meet you, welcome to our home. Please call me Simone."

"Okay," he rewarded her with one of his full smiles.

"Keep your shoes on, we're all out in the back yard." She said while leading them through the house to the kitchen's sliding patio door. The three walked out into the yard where Spike was quickly introduced to the rest of Winnie's family; her brother, Tyrone and his wife, Jessica, her younger sister Tiffany and finally her father Nathaniel who preferred to be called Nat.

He was offered a beer which he accepted and decided to nurse. The drugs he was taking had warnings on the bottle against consuming too much alcohol. Forty-five minutes after their arrival Simone entered the house and quickly returned with a platter of steaks for the barbecue.

Tyrone stood from his lawn chair and started the barbecue. After letting it heat up for a few minutes he threw the steaks onto the grill and Simone, Tiffany, and Jessica retreated into the house. Winnie who sat beside Spike leaned her shoulder into his and said, "I'm going inside to help. You'll be okay?"

"Yeah sure."

"Kay." She smiled and then followed the rest of the women into the house.

"So, Mike, Winnie tells us you're a member of the SRU?" Nat asked.

"Yes."

"And your specialty?"

"Communications and demolitions."

"There's a huge need for those skills?"

"Not so much demolitions, but it happens. Communications is another story all together."

"So you're arm?" Tyrone asked nodding his head towards Spike's sling.

"Separated shoulder."

"Happen on the job?" Nat asked.

"Yes."

Nathaniel Camden remains silent and Spike has no idea what he's thinking or what to say, if anything. This being his first encounter with the man he didn't know whether or not his silence was a good thing or a bad thing. So he too stayed silent. Finally Tyrone broke the silence, "Was Winnie working?"

"I'm not sure?" Spike replied.

"You're not sure?" Both men looked at him astonished.

So he explained, "I'm suffering from a little memory loss. I don't remember most of the twenty-four hours or so leading up to the incident."

"Oh, that must feel odd?" Nat asked.

"It's a little surreal. The day before was our teams annual picnic. I remember bits and pieces of it. Now that I think about it, Winnie showed up at the hospital in civilian clothes. I'd say odds are pretty good she wasn't working."

"You were involved in that explosion on Monday?"

"Yeah."

"Holy moly!" Tyrone responded.

As the men continued to chat on the patio while tending to the steaks with the talk eventually turning to baseball, the women gathered inside the kitchen.

"So how long have you been dating Mike?" Winnie's mother asked.

"Some months now."

"Really, and we're only now meeting him? That's not like you."

"We've been taking it slow, plus our schedules sometimes don't allow us as much time to spend together."

"He's cute." Tiffany piped up from the other side of the room where she was cutting vegetables for a salad.

The three other women turned to look at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Winnie replied and continued washing the lettuce for the salad.

"And he's a cop?" Jessica asked.

"Yes."

"Doesn't that scare you?" Jess.

"Sometimes, but he's well trained a member of a top notch team, and has years of experience."

"He's a member of the SRU, correct?" her mother questioned.

"Yes."

"Don't they answer the most dangerous calls?" she asked.

Silence filled the air with the exception of the knife Tiffany was using to slice through green peppers hitting the cutting board.

Winnie filled a wine glass with the Riesling sitting on the counter and motioned to her mother's glass. "Please." Simone nodded. "He treats you well?" The older woman finally asked.

Winnie knew her mother was asking based on her relationship with her ex, Dan. Dan had had a tendency to control all the situations he was in and his controlling nature didn't stop when it came to her.

"Very." Winnie smiled. "Don't worry, Mom, I learned my lesson. Spike is wonderful and he's always treated me well, it hasn't changed since we began dating."

Simone smiled, "Good, in the end that's all that really matters to me."

"I know."

"Tif is right, he is cute." Jessica smiled at her sister-in-law.

Winnie looked at the other woman and let out a small chuckle, "I think so." She turned to look out the sliding glass door toward the man of their conversation. He was smiling and chatting with her father and brother. Her heart skipped a beat. Beyond his cuteness and sweet nature was a passionate masculine man. A side not many people got glimpse of.

Simone excused herself mumbling something about laundry and took a flight of stairs leading to the basement of the house.

"So?" Jess commented.

"What?" Winnie answered.

"We," she gestured between herself and Tiffany, "want the details you won't give with your mother in the room."

Winnie smiled and rolled her eyes, "You know I don't remember friends and family being this interested in any of my previous relationships?" Winnie continued.

"That's because they seemed more like child's play, but this one." Jess pointed towards Spike, "this one seems different."

"And you know this how?" Winnie asked.

Jess shrugged her shoulders and then responded with, "well, first of all, there's the way you look at him. Secondly, you never left any of your previous boyfriends alone with you dad, and thirdly, you're glowing." She smiled.

Winnie raised her hand to her face, placing them each on a cheek. "What do you mean glowing? You're the one who's pregnant."

"Women don't have to be pregnant in order to glow, Winnie, haven't you ever noticed that women in love have a look about them when their man is around?"

"Women in love…" Winnie repeated her sister-in-law's words.

"Yes."

"Oh my god, are you in love?" Tiffany asked a look of surprise on her face.

Winnie looked from Jess to Tiffany to Spike and then back to Jess.

"Well, are you going to try and deny it?" Jessica asked.

Winnie looked down at her feet and then back up again, "no."

"I thought so." Jess smiled. "It's true isn't it, you're other boyfriends seemed like children in comparison?"

"Oh yeah."

"That's terrific, Winnie. Now tell me, is he the bomb guy you were telling me about at Christmas?"

"Yes." Winnie couldn't hold back the smile that crept across her mouth.

"How old is he?" Tiffany asked.

"Why?"

"Because he seems a lot older than Dan." Her little sister said referring to her only other serious boyfriend.

"Thirty-five." Winnie answered.

"Wow!" Tif's eyes grew large.

"That helps explain the difference as well." Jess managed to say just as Simone re-entered the room.

"The veggies are ready." Tiffany told her mom.

"Great, thank you. Why don't you put the salad together and bring it outside. Jess, could you get the potato salad out of the fridge and bring it out please?"

"Sure." Jess said and did as her mother-in-law asked.

"Winnie and I will be along shortly."

When the two women had collected the salads and exited the room through the sliding door Simone turned to her daughter. "Winnie, please tell me you're being careful."

"Mom."

"Winnie, allow me one moment to be your concerned mother. After Dan, I was afraid you might fall into a pattern of choosing men who are all wrong for you."

"Mom, Spike is…"

"Hear me out, okay?"

Winnie nodded her head.

"Dan treated you terribly and like a child. As I was saying, your father and I became concerned that you might keep hooking up with the same sort of man over and over again. Some women have a tendency to do that. All I'm saying is you need to go slow and get to know Mike a little before you become too serious."

Winnie smiled at her mother, "Mom, I've known him for years, ever since I started working with the SRU. We had a lot of conversations over the years and I feel like I know more about the type of person he is way better than any other boyfriend I've had. He's a decent guy, mom."

"And a police officer."

"Are you saying that's a problem?" Winnie asked a bit surprised.

"It's just from what I heard; the men and women in that profession can have horrible relationships. There's sometimes alcohol abuse. I'm not judging, Winnie, I'm just saying these individuals see the dark under belly of this city, I'm sure it can't be easy to live with."

"Mom, I hear what you're saying, but not all police officers end up in terrible relationships and unable to deal with their job at home." Winnie responded.

"I know, I'm just saying…" she let her word fall away.

Winnie smiled at her, "You're just saying you worry about your little girl." She said while walking to her mother and placing an arm around her shoulders.

Simone looked at her daughter, "Yes, and correct me if I'm wrong, did I just overhear you saying that that young man is ten years older than yourself?"

"Yes."

"And Dan treated you like child and he was what, a year and a half older than you?"

"Mom, Spike isn't Dan. Spike has something that Dan never did. Respect, respect for me and who I am. He's a great guy; you're going to love him."

Winnie let her mother's side and opened the fridge door taking out a bottle of HP Sauce and a pitcher of lemonade when her mother spoke again.

"As long as he treats you well, and you're being careful, right?"

"I told you, I learned my lesson about not so nice men with Dan."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Winnie turned and looked at her mother, "than what are you…OH mother please."

"I'm just saying it would be nice if you followed in your brother's footsteps and had an old fashion relationship and not one like a lot of young people your age are having. It would be nice if there was a wedding before a baby."

"Mother!"

"Winnie!" Simone replied softly.

Winnie rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay, if it makes you feel better, I'm on the pill and we used condoms as well."

"Good, you can't be too careful in this day and age. And what do you mean used, as in the past tense? Surely you're not having problems in that department already?"

Winnie stared at her mother wondering how her mother could always pick up on the smallest details. Finally she sighed and said, "Not in the way you're thinking. You'll be happy to know that we took our time becoming intimate so there was only one evening of such activities before Spike received injuries."

"Yes, about that. Did he sustain his injury on the job?"

"Yes, he suffered a concussion, a separated shoulder, and some deep bruises to his ribs." Winnie responded just as Tiffany walked back into the room.

"He wasn't shot was he?" Tiffany asked.

"No."

"Thank god." Simone said to no one in particular then said, "I thought a separated shoulder was only painful until someone put it back in place? Why is he wearing a sling?"

"That's dislocated shoulder, Mom. A separated shoulder is torn ligaments, it usually needs rest, ice and possible re-habilitation. Sometimes surgery he doesn't need surgery does he?" Tiffany the nursing student asked.

"No." Winnie replied.

"He was involved in the stand-off that made the news on Monday, right?"

"Yeah," Winnie shook her head.

"Oh my." Simone said.

"So he was holding that scary looking gun and pointing it at that guy?"

"Yep." Winnie nodded her head.

Tiffany scrunched her face, "You're dating a guy that carries a semi-automatic weapon on the job?"

"Yes."

"That's scary." Tiffany said while their mother took a seat in a nearby chair and said, "Oh lord."

**FP**

Later in the evening while they were all eating, Spike who was sitting beside Nat and across the patio table from Winnie looked up to see her looking at him. He held her gaze and Spike suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu when he felt the twitch in his groin it all came back to him. They had been sitting across from one another at the picnic and their gazes had locked and he had immediately grown hard as a rock. At that moment he'd been happy his plate had been sitting in his lap so Clark Lane, who'd been sitting beside him, couldn't witness the sizeable bulge in his pants. The same was basically true now, he was happy he was sitting at a table with his lower body under the table so Winnie's father couldn't see the sizeable bulge currently taking shape in his jeans.

The memory was very quickly followed by on of returning to his home and how he rather quickly began to disrobe Winnie to find her wearing an expensive bra and panty set that he didn't take the appropriate time to admire. He'd been far more interesting in what they had been covering up. He couldn't help but now wonder what Winnie was wearing under her jeans and t-shirt. He didn't just want to know but felt he needed to know. His eyes dropped to her breasts and quickly back up to her eyes. She was continuing to look at him but broke contact for a brief moment to look at her sister sitting beside her, he assumed to see if she noticed his ogling. He could care less if she had. The desire that was firing up inside him was certainly measureable and would be hard to hide from anyone with working eyes.

He finally looked back down to his food and allowed his memory to come flooding back to him. He remembered their first coupling and how hard and fast it had been. Then there had been their lovemaking in the middle of the night, when they'd taken their time and he had explored every single inch of her delicious body. Then again the following morning, the morning of the explosion when she'd been on top and rode him to completion. It amazed him that he'd forgotten those glorious hours.

He reached for his glass of lemonade and took a huge gulp. He was on fire and needed some cooling off. He hoped the group would continue to sit for a while and not get up from the table. If they did, he knew he was in trouble. He looked back towards Winnie to find she'd turned her attention to her sister-in-law. He was grateful, he didn't think he'd be able to hold himself together if she had been continuing to look at him. He was ecstatic to have his memory back and wanted to let Winnie know. He wondered how she'd felt knowing that he'd forgotten those oh so important moments they'd spent together. It made the sad expression that had come across her face the other night, when he'd told her he remember Greg's speech, make sense. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he remembered, and more importantly, he wanted to repeat their experiences, be damned with his injuries, surely between them they could figure out how to accomplish a workable position that wouldn't do further damage to his injuries! He couldn't wait to leave her parent's home and get her alone.


	19. Chapter 19

So, this chapter is a little more smutty than any previous one. So if you don't like that kind of chatper than you may want to skip one because it's about 99.9% smut.

Also, I haven't commented on the show coming to a close at the end of the upcoming seaon. While I'm extremely saddend by the news, I'm happy that the show will have a proper close and I love the hints of some Spinnie (hate that name) being written into the show!

Also, I'm not a fan of crossover episodes and apparently Flashpoint and The Listener will have a cross over episode this season. The only thing that will even make me watch Te Listener half is the fact that it will be a cross over because Spike will be injured on a call and end up at the hohspital the paramedics and hospital staff work out of on The Listener. Anyhow, enough of my babbling. Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks to Christy and Kimi.

* * *

><p>When Spike and Winnie entered the kitchen of what he still referred to as his parent's home, it didn't take him but a couple of seconds to let his intentions for the evening known. Winnie had walked into the house in front of him so he strode up behind her, brought his left arm around her waist and gently pulled her against him as he placed feather like kisses against the side of her neck. Winnie immediately tilted her head away from Spike allowing him better access and let a low moan escape from her lips when he took her up on the invitation.<p>

"You taste fantastic."

"It's my coconut lime body lotion."

"Did you rub it over your entire body?"

"Spike…" he heard a warning tone in her voice.

"Hmm?" he ignored the warning.

"You shouldn't…" but when he took her earlobe between his teeth and gently bit on it her words disappeared as she let out a low guttural moan and he felt her shiver. "Spike..." she practically panted his name. He couldn't help but smile a tiny bit at her reaction as her body betrayed her.

Tonight he wanted nothing more than to make love to her and he didn't care what the consequences to his injuries were. He brought his left hand up to her breast and drew slow lazy circles around her nipple as he once again placed gentle kisses and small love bites against her neck. His actions were rewarded when her nipple hardened to a peak. He took it between his finger and thumb and gave it a gentle pull.

"Oh yes," Winnie moaned and her head rolled back and to the side again, once again a small smile came to his lips. Her reaction also brought a rush of blood directly to his lower region which resulted in a rather thick and throbbing erection.

"I want you, Bella," he groaned against her throat.

"Spike, you're in no shape for this." He could hear the regret in her voice.

"We can manage." He replied as he continued to pinch and roll her nipple between his fingers.

"You're shoulder…"

"There are ways, Winnie."

"Me on top isn't going to…"

"There are other ways." He cut off her protest.

"You think so."

"Oh yeah." He replied continuing his loving assaults on her breast and throat.

"Hmm." She groaned.

He had no idea if she was responding to his words or his physical actions so he continued to tweak her nipple, nuzzle her neck, and now he upped it a notch by grinding his growing erection against her. He could tell by the way her body was turning to jelly that he could stop teasing her at any moment because her defences were down and she would be a rather willing participant in all things sexual, but he was having far too much fun to stop now and was finding their current situation sexy.

"We could do it standing up." He was basically whispering to her now.

"Hmmmm…" she sighed.

"You know, with you against the wall…"

"Yeah…" she panted.

"With your incredibly sexy legs wrapped around my waist." He continued his verbal assault which resulted in another moan. Oh she was turned on and again he could stop, but didn't want to.

"Or you could sit or lie on the island or table and I could stand."

"Really."

He had no idea whether or not her one word sentence was a statement, a question, or a green light, but there was definitely a hint of surprise in her voice which further turned him on so continued on with his verbal foreplay. "After of course I have my feast on you, if we choose the table." He groaned.

"God." Again a one word response from her.

"Or we could do a rear entry either you know here in the kitchen or on my bed." He managed between kisses.

She brought her right hand up and placed it on the side of his neck lightly caressing it while also pushing herself gently against his erection.

"Spike, I'd never forgive my…" she was panting her words so he cut her off again.

"Winnie, making love to you isn't going to kill me, however not making love to you, just might." He groaned against her ear. He wasn't sure, but he thought she just might have whimpered at his latest statement.

"Plus, after the images of us last weekend returned to me at dinner I haven't been able to stop remembering what if feels like to be inside you and I want to do it again, now."

With this declaration, Winnie spun around and placed both her hands on either side of his face. "You remember!"

He shook his head slightly, "Every sigh, every moan, every shudder, and every orgasm..." He loved the smile that came across her lips.

"Is it all there, our lunch, the cake, our texts? All of it?"

"All of it, I even remembered the call we were on. But we can talk about all that later. Right now we have some business to take care of. There's no way I'm taking a cold shower tonight." He wrapped his good arm around her waist and once again pulled her against him and this time his lips brushed lightly against hers and that zing of electricity and excitement jolted through him making him once again kiss her with much more need this time.

He could feel Winnie's hands playing with his hair and memories of her raking her hand through his hair during the previous weekend ran through his head. He groaned at the feel of her fingernails caressing his head and down along the back of his neck, making his own body shudder in response. His good arm roamed from her waist down to her behind. He began to knead it. She broke free from their kiss and whispered his name into the side of his neck. Her warm breath tickled in a sensual way and now it was his turn to shift his head aside. She took the clue and began to place gentle kisses on his skin. She started on his left hand side and worked her way slowly to his Adams apple and then along to the right side just below his ear.

Her actions seemed to spur him on and within seconds he had her backed into the kitchens long centre island, his hand still squeezing her right butt cheek. His need seemed to quadruple in a nano second. It was at this moment that the arm still in its sling finally caused him some frustration. He'd finally managed to get by without use of both arms, but he so desperately wanted to continue moulding her behind and yet reached down and untucked her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. He had to decide which was more advantage to him and went with the shirt. He brought his hand up and pulled her shirt out of her jeans but instead of working to pull it over her head he placed his hand underneath the garment resting it on her abdomen producing a gasp from her mouth. He relished the softness of her skin running his hand from side to side and feeling the goose bumps break out across her skin.

The next thing he knew Winnie's lips were on his and she placed both of her hands on the sides of his face. "You do very wicked things to me."

"Oh I can do much worse." He grinned while she continued placing quick pecks on his mouth and letting out tiny moans of pleasure.

He ran his hand up along her torso, up her ribcage, and finally cupped her breast. She reacted by arching her chest into him. He loved how responsive she was, wanting nothing more than to pleasure her until she reached her pinnacle, not evening caring if he reached his own orgasm. He just wanted her to come undone in his arms. He slowly began to massage her breast bringing her lips to a momentary stillness. "Bella, I need you." He groaned into her mouth.

"Spike, we should…"

He knew she was concerned about him and she wanted to say stop but he wasn't going to allow her to say those words. He may be as horny as a sailor who'd been at sea for months without having seen a woman let alone having had the pleasure of touching one, but he knew if she asked him to stop he would. There was no way he would ever continue if she didn't want him to. The only problem was he knew she wouldn't mean it. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her, but she was being protective and she needn't worry about him. If things became too difficult he was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to carry on. He wasn't concerned about his shoulder as he knew they could manage without doing further harm, but his breathing could present a problem but he was hoping if it did she would have already reached her release and be satisfied, although if that was not to be, he could still pleasure her in other ways which wouldn't result in his having difficulties breathing.

The fingers working her breast snuck into the top of her bra pushing it aside exposing her and now allowing him to touch her flesh. Once again his actions brought along with it a gasp from her. He continued the kneading of her and she was once again moaning this time, his name. Something very primal always seemed to grow in him whenever she said his name while in the throes of passion. It seemed to always heighten his sexual need. He took her nipple between his finger and thumb and began an assault of pinches, tweaks, rolls, and pulls. She threw her head back and he took the opportunity to place his lips on the center of her throat and place small nips and kisses there. Goose bumps once again broke out along her body; the nipple in his hand immediately peaked giving him more to work with. He ground his lower half into her. She was panting again.

He stopped his ministrations to her breast, brought his hand down to the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and with her help it was quickly lying on the floor at their feet. He lowered his head and took her hardened nub into his mouth sucking hard. She threw her head back again and her hands landed on his upper arms when she arched herself further into his mouth. She needn't have used him to hold herself upright as she was still backed into the island so any chance of her falling backward was non-existent. When he began to swirl his tongue around her nipple her grip hardened and she hissed. His erection became even stiffer making his jeans quite uncomfortable.

He shifted his head and took the fabric covering her other breast between his teeth and pulled it aside exposing the twin orb. The pressure of the bra pushed her breasts closer together and he could only stare for the first few seconds at their full exposure. How he wished he had both hands at his disposal. Instead he worked with what he had and reached down and placed a soft kiss on the newly exposed nipple while placing his hand once again on the other breast and once again began to squeeze the soft mound before using his fingers to mimic the movement of his mouth on its twin. Winnie shuddered. He didn't think it was possible but he hardened once again.

"Winnie…"he groaned.

She must have sensed he needed something from her because instead of assuming he was just saying her name she answered him, "What?" She panted.

"My jeans."

No other words were needed as she quickly set about undoing his button and fly pulling it down. He immediately felt a relief from the pressure pressed against his member. Perhaps relief wasn't quite the word to use when the thumb of Winnie's right hand almost immediately skimmed across his underwear along the top of his head. He jerked at her brief touch and she let out a groan of her own. She did it again with using a little more pressure. He could feel the moisture pooled there. He couldn't help the instantaneous thrust that her touch brought about.

His hand left her breast and slowly traveled along her torso to the closure of her jeans. He quickly undid her button and undid her fly. "Spike." She moaned.

"Help me, Winnie."

Again she understood what he was asking of her with no more words being needed. She helped him as she shimmied out of her pants and he kicked them to the side. He began to caress and gently squeeze her inner thigh and this time his actions definitely brought a whimper from her. Despite his desire to tease her a little, he couldn't help snaking his hand up to the centre between her legs.

Again she called his name. This time a bit hoarsely. A pool of moisture had gathered in her underwear and he groaned and again began attacking her breast orally while applying pressure against her underwear with his left hand. He wished he had the use of his right hand knowing his left wasn't as skilled in this area as his right. Although, Winnie's reaction of slightly grinding her mound against his hand encouraged him to continue his actions.

He raised his fingers upward until he felt her hardened nub he gently took her nipple between his teeth applying a little pressure. Winnie cried out, her hand on his tip became still and she threw her head back once again. As he began to rub her centre in a slow small circular motion and place his lips once again around her nipple and suckle she began to grind her feminine core against his fingers in her own circular motion. After teasing her for a bit longer he again lowered his fingers downward and deftly pushed the patch of panties between her legs aside removing the barrier and allowing him to touch her hot wet flesh. He again hardened further. Never in his life had a woman affected him so primal, never had he needed another woman as ravenously as he did Winnie.

"Spike," She whispered his name with a hint of shock in her voice, but then she seemed to regroup and once again began to slowly rub the tip of his engorged organ.

Her actions spurred him on. He slipped a finger inside her and she had a shape intake of breathe. He loved the surprise he heard in her. He liked being unpredictable to her. In many ways she did possess a bit of innocence. Oh she was no virgin as she had obviously known what she was doing, but she could also sometimes seem shocked by his actions. It was a delicious combination. What had she expected him to do when he'd pushed her panties aside?

He shifted his hand which allowed him to place his thumb against her bundle of sexual nerves and slowly rub it in circular motions while now pulling his finger out of her and pushing it back in. On the third thrust he entered her with two fingers. She continued to squirm and rotate her hips grinding herself against his hand. Within a few moments he could feel her insides griping his fingers and her breathing was coming quick and hard, knowing she was close to her release he quickened his thumbs actions and began to suckle her breast harder. He was quickly rewarded when she thrust her chest deeper into his mouth, called his name passionately, came in his hand and wrapped his penis in a full grip. He lessoned his suction and slowed the actions of his fingers as she recovered from her orgasm. Her breathing slowly returned to normal as her insides continued to contract around his fingers. He finally stopped his ministrations and pulled his fingers out from her and hand away from her wrapping his arm around her waist. He released her nipple and placed his forehead against hers, watching her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into his. She smiled at him.

"You're bad." She accused.

"Yes." He nodded his head.

The hand she had wrapped around his member slowly began to slide up and down his shaft. The sensation was more of a tease than anything as his underwear was providing a barrier between them. "I think you may have to be punished."

"I might like it."

"Chances are you will." She smiled and let his member go, making it bob against his stomach.

Within seconds her hand was inside his underwear and she once again had a firm grip on him. They locked eyes and she once again began to slide her hand up and down his shaft, and every once in a while, on the fourth upward motion his mathematical brain deduced she ran her forefinger across his slit. He kept telling himself to stop following her pattern, but then again, it didn't get in the way of his pleasure so he continued to count each pump anticipating that caress and moaning with each one.

When he couldn't take it anymore he bent slightly at the knees and hiked her up until she was sitting on the island. She squealed her surprise which made him grin as he remembered she'd done the same thing the prior weekend when he lifted them both up off his bed from a sitting position so he could place her gently down in a lying position.

Again he locked eyes with her and asked, "Are we okay?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I've been checked…"

"Huh, yeah so have I but that's not what I'm talking about."

There was a look of puzzlement on her face and he saw the exact moment she understood what he was asking her. "Um, yeah, I'm on the pill."

"Cause I could run downstairs and…"

She cut him off, "Spike, we're good."

"Okay." He smiled at her as he released his hold on her and reached down pulling himself out of the constraints of his underwear and placed his tip against her opening. "You're positive?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head at him keeping eye contact.

With her confirmation he entered her in one quick thrust and while he grunted she sighed and closed her eyes. He continued to stare at her face as he slowly began pumping in and out of her. With each thrust she parted her lips and exhaled quietly. It didn't take long for her breathing to hitch and come quicker and quicker. She placed both of her hands palm down on the island and leaned back. He leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth once again and began to tease it with his tongue.

Her breathing continued to come in short pants and she was repeating his nickname over and over again. He switched from circling her areola with his tongue to the strong sucking he knew she liked. Almost immediately he could feel her inner walls begin to contract and her breathing heighten. He closed his eyes against the sensation of her trying to milk him and concentrated on her. Her breathing began to come even harder and finally her body shuddered and she was in full ecstasy.

"OH...SPIKE…OH...YES…MY…SPIKE!"

As her body continued to shudder he slowed his pace allowing her to regain her normal breathing. Her head continued to be thrown back and although her breathing began to even out it was still somewhat shallow. He continued his slower thrusts knowing her body continued to be in a hyper sensitive state. Finally she seemed to return to the here and now and she wrapped her legs around him. Taking his cue from her he changed his thrusts to a quicker and sharper pace. He could feel his orgasm building and was savouring the build when his eyes stopped gazing at the satisfied expression on her face and dropped to her exposed breasts. Her bra was still on although the cups were pushed to the sides, pressing her breasts slightly up and closer together. Each inward thrust caused her orbs to bounce up and down. The sight excited him further and his thrusts became even harder and quicker. He looked up into her face and again he locked eyes with her. Her pupils were dilated and her lids were half closed. Her breathing was beginning to quicken once again. His ribs were killing him resulting in a wince. He immediately saw a flash of concern cross her face and knew he had to look away to avoid her putting a stop to their activities. He looked back down to her chest and those bouncing beauties worked like a charm. The sight chased his pain away and quickly heightened his desire. She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever been with. He wondered what in the world he had ever done in his life to deserve such a sexy, beautiful, caring, and loving woman like Winnie?

Only moments after his eyes returned to her breasts he felt his scrotum tighten and knew he was close. The amazing thing was she was beginning to sound like she was close once again. This helped with the sensations taking over his body, but not the shortness of breath he was experiencing. He quickened his pace yet again and pleasure over-rode his pain. He was grunting and groaning but he was also sure he was wincing. He closed his eyes just before his orgasm hit. His free hand was on her hip and he could feel his grip tightening on her, he was pretty sure she would be left with a mark but couldn't bring himself to loosen his hold. He could feel his warm seed spilling into her and let out another long groan. As his waves and ripples of pleasure became less powerful so did his grip and his thrusts. Just as he opened his eyes Winnie threw her head back once again and shuddered her pleasure as another orgasm ripped through her.

He continued to slow his thrusts but didn't stop until she was satisfied. He leaned into her and she reciprocated by leaning towards him. They met in the middle and he rested his forehead on hers. The returned to earth together and looked into one another's eyes while she continued to sit and he continued to stand, in a quiet voice she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You sure, you're not in any pain?"

"Oh, I'm in pain, but it was worth it." He assured her.

"Spike…"

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he changed the subject.

"Spike…" She tried again only to be cut off once again.

"Even more so when we're doing this." He waggled his eyebrows up and down at her in a way that Groucho Marx would be envious of.

She let out a small laugh, "You're something else."

"Maybe so but I'm speaking the truth. You're beautiful and incredibly sexy during sex." He placed his lips on hers and gave her a heart stopping kiss.

When they parted she replied, "I don't know if I'm all that sexy but what we just did certainly was." And she snuggled her cheek into his throat.

This was one of those moments when he thought of her in an innocent sort of way. While she spoke bravely she had to hide her face from him as she did so. He put a finger underneath her chin and lifted her head looking into her eyes. "You okay?"

"Yep." She nodded her head up and down.

He let her place her cheek back into his throat and waited a few moments before he pulled out of her. He tucked his arm around her waist again and slid her off the island. She let her legs unwrap from around his waist and let them fall downward. He loosened his hold on her once he knew her feet were secure on the floor and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.

He watched as she pulled the cups of her bra back over her breasts then reach down to pull the crotch of her panties back into place. He followed suit and placed his semi-erect bobbing penis back into his underwear feeling the stickiness against his abdomen. He frowned and said, "Perhaps we should have a shower."

"Yeah," she looked behind her at the counter top she'd just been sitting on top of, "And maybe clean the counter as well."

"Might be a good idea." He too looked at the countertop and then back at her with a grin. "Why don't you go shower and I'll clean up here."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

She placed a kiss on his lips before departing the room via the stairs to the basement.

****FP****

As Winnie washed herself off in the shower she couldn't believe she'd just been banged on a countertop. Sure she'd seen it done plenty of times in the movies but she'd never personally done it. She'd always thought it was sexy yet farfetched when she'd seen in the movies. She had a hard time believing two rational adults couldn't wait the few moments more it would take them to get to the bedroom. She'd been happy Spike hadn't turned the light on when they'd first walked into the house. She'd be mortified if she thought that a neighbour or someone walking along the sidewalk could witness their fornicating in the kitchen. Once her brain replayed their actions once again she stopped washing herself and stood stalk still.

Not only had having sex in a kitchen and on a countertop been a first for her but so too had not using a condom. Despite what she'd heard and read, it felt very different to not have a piece of latex as a barrier between her and a penis. It was warmer, much silkier, far more intimate, and much messier than she had expected. Sperm sitting in the end of a condom looked like a lot less than what she had felt spill into her loins. It also hadn't remained inside once she began to walk down to the basement. Some had pooled into her panties. She very quickly decided she wasn't going to put them back on once she was done with her shower.

Her thoughts returned to Spike. Despite trying to minimize his pain she was pretty sure he was hurting more than he let on. His breathing had become almost non-existent when he succumbed to his release and he had a mixture of pleasure and pain on his face. She quickly finished with her shower and turned the water off. She pulled aside the shower curtain and stepped out of the tub quickly drying herself off. She looked down at her jeans, panties and bra deciding she didn't want to put either back on and her t-shirt she was sure was still lying on the kitchen floor unless Spike had picked it up. She could hear him in his bedroom next door so quickly exited the bathroom and went into his room. He looked incredibly sexy. He was still fully clothed which brought a smile to her lips. He had been in such a rush to get to their sexual activities that all his clothes had remained on. He was removing the sling from around his neck. He tossed it onto his dresser and winced when he slowly straightened his arm out. He looked up and she saw his eyes darken at the sight of her.

"What?"

"You're still naked."

She looked down at herself, "I'm in a towel." She corrected him.

He looked at her with a predatory smile and her stomach flip flopped.

"I was hoping you could loan me some clothes."

"Um, yeah sure." He seemed distracted by her presence although she was beginning to understand him a little better. He was a typical male and the thought of her wearing nothing more than a towel was the distraction.

He walked towards her with a gray t-shirt and a pair of blue track pants placing them in her arms. "See if these work, if not, t-shirts are in the third drawer and track pants in the bottom." He kissed her before he walked out of the room and into the bathroom for his own shower. She contemplated following him but decided in the end not to. She pulled the track pants over her legs and the t-shirt over her head and placed her arms through the arm holes and straightened it on her torso. It fit loosely and smelled of Spike. She loved it. There was just something very comforting about wearing a man's shirt especially when it belonged to your boyfriend.

Boyfriend she thought. She had to keep from pinching herself. Spike was in fact her boyfriend, and they'd just had sex in the kitchen while wearing their clothing. Well, he'd been fully clothed while she had still had her panties and bra on. Not that they had been covering her up at all. She thought back to Spike watching her chest while he was thrusting in and out of her. The desire she had seen on his face had made her feel unbelievably sexy and desirable. More so than any previous lover had, there was just something about his gaze, she knew what it was; Desire, red hot smoldering desire for her, Winnie Camden. She'd never thought of herself as pretty or sexy. She'd always been close to being the tallest girl in her class and hadn't really filled out until she was close to twenty years old. Then she'd been self-conscious about her body. It had taken a couple of years for her to feel comfortable with it as well as her sexuality. With Spike all her inhibitions seemed to disappear. She knew she drew confidence from him. He exuded it in spades, not just sexually, but she could always hear it in his voice when he was in the field.

She sat down on the edge of his bed and waited for him to return from his shower. She didn't wait long and when he re-appeared her heart ached. He only wore a pair of grey coloured track pants, leaving his chest and feet bare. She'd hadn't as of yet seen the bruises left behind by his being thrown into the command truck, she didn't know she'd made a sound but she must have because he came and sat down beside her, facing her.

"It doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it would."

She tentatively reached out and ran her hand along an ugly purple-blue bruise covering the right hand side of his chest. He flinched a bit and she pulled her hand back. He took her hand in his and lightly placed it back where she had wanted to.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Like I said, not as much as it did a few days ago."

She leaned down and kissed his chest just above his nipple. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Just that it happened in the first place."

He smirked, "It's okay, I'll be back at work bugging you before you know it."

She smiled back at him, "That'll be nice, but take all the time you need."

"Okay Doctor, Winnie."

"Don't tease. I'm worried about you."

"I'll be okay. Plus, Greg and Ed won't let me come back until I've gotten the medical okay and I'm feeling up to it."

"Good."

"You want a water?" He asked her.

She nodded her head yes.

"Kay, wait here." She watched as he left the room noticing the bruising on his back as well. He returned moments later with two water bottles. He handed her one of the bottles and opened the other one, "I didn't take my medication at dinner."

"You going to now?"

He nodded his head and showed her the pill bottle in his other hand. She watched him take a pill and then place the bottle on his bedside table. "Your clothes were still in the bathroom."

"Oh I forgot." She stood in order to leave the room and retrieve them. She walked into the bathroom to find Spike had picked them up, folded them and placed them on the counter. She grabbed them and walked out of the bathroom to find him sitting in his living room area on his couch with the TV on and the remote in his hand.

****FP****

The next morning Winnie had to wake up extra early in order to make it to work on time. She'd spent the night with Spike which meant she had to go home in order to get a uniform and make herself a lunch. She saved a bit of time by having a shower at Spike's which she could have done without if she and Spike hadn't ended up making love again a couple of hours after they'd each had a shower the night before.

She currently sat at her desk filling out some paper work. Team One was in the briefing room, Team Two was out on patrols, all the bomb tech's minus Team Two's and Spike were in the conference room going over some new equipment that had come in by Fed Ex earlier that morning.

Commander Halloran greeted her and Sidney, whom was standing behind her watching one of their monitors, as he walked by heading to his office.

"Why don't you grab a chair?" Winnie asked Sidney.

"I think I will," he vanished and re-appeared a couple of minutes later with a chair from the break room.

The two sat in their own worlds for almost an hour before Sidney asked, "How's Spike doing?"

"A little better, his memory's back and his breathing has improved." She contained her smiles as she said to herself, _unless he's have very satisfying, very hot, and very passionate sex._

"That's good news. What about his dizzy spells?"

"Gone." She replied picking up her cup of coffee and taking a drink.

Just as she was setting it back down on her desk the buzzer went off in her headset. She answered the buzz finding it was a Toronto Police dispatcher asking for SRU assistance with an armed robbery already in progress. Members from 31 Division were already on scene. The armed bandit was holding hostages.

She turned on the P.A system and called, "Team One, hot call, bank holdup with hostages."

Before she even finished the words the team was piling out of the room and walking towards her.

"What do we have, Winnie?" Ed asked.

"Toronto Dominion Bank at Sheppard and Jane being held up, so far one suspect holding undisclosed number of hostages, Constables from 31 Division on scene."

"Any injuries?" Greg asked.

"We don't know."

"Okay, let's suit up." Ed commanded to the rest of the team whom had gathered around her desk.

A couple of hours later Winnie's adrenaline was returning to normal as the team had brought an end to the hostile situation with no casualties. By this time she was alone at her desk once again filling out a report of the call. She had to fill out a log detailing everything she'd done, such as what other calls she'd made on behalf of the team, what kind of date basis' she'd utilized in order to procure further information either on the bank branch and chain or on the suspect himself.

Hours later she returned home and spent the evening with her roommate catching up on one another's lives.


	20. Chapter 20

On a Thursday morning, three and a half weeks after Spike had regained his full memory; he woke, ate, shaved and showered. He'd gained the use of his right arm and hand making his day to day life a whole lot easier. Even the normally simple task of getting dressed had been a challenge in the most recent weeks after the accident. Even now, as he stood in front of his full length mirror taking in his appearance he thanked the lord for allowing the injuries he'd received on that day to be minor. After buttoning his dress shirt he flipped the collar up and reached for the blue tie he'd chosen to wear. He tossed it around his neck and on auto-pilot tied a Windsor knot. He could care less what tie knot to tie, but this was the particular knot the academy had stressed was best for all courtroom appearances. Apparently it exuded confidence and professionalism. After straightening the tie he threw on the suit jacket and took in his complete appearance.

He'd chosen a dark suit and a crisp powder blue dress shirt. He'd spent a huge amount of time the night before pressing it. Although it couldn't be seen, he'd made sure his belt matched his black shoes. This was the only real nuisance about testifying in court rooms. The prosecuting attorneys were always uptight about their expert witness' appearances. "Be sure to look the part," were the crown attorney's, Drew Collins, last words the day before at his office.

The attorney had walked Spike through his testimony for a couple of days. Spike knew his memory was fine and despite the fact that he would never forget the day David Fleming and Vince Albin had taken Natalie Braddock hostage and then lured him into their trap he decided to drop in at headquarters before court today so he could pick up his note book. All professional witnesses knew the importance of bringing along their notes so they could be sure, in black and white, that their facts were indeed correct.

He locked up the house and quickly made his way to headquarters. While weaving his way through the busy early morning Toronto traffic he was happy he drove an automatic vehicle, because while his shoulder was feeling much better he knew having to use a stick shift would cause undo strain on his still bruised and tender ligaments. Arriving at headquarters he drove to the staff parking at the back lot and exited his vehicle hitting the remote lock button twice on his keyless entry fob knowing all the trucks door were in fact locked upon hearing the quick honk of the vehicles horn. He swiped his I.D badge to unlock the door entered into the back of the building. He slowly made his way through the building nodding at co-workers along the way who politely greeted him. Coming up to the front desk from behind he was able to view Winnie before she even knew he was there. He hadn't mentioned to her that he would be stopping by before going to court.

Before he was able to surprise her though, Jules happened to walk up to the front desk and noticed him walking toward him. She immediately broke into an easy friendly smile, "Hey, Spike, you cleaned up nice." Her eyes sparkled.

Upon hearing his name Winnie whirled around and she too smiled at his presence. Although the smile and look in her eyes wasn't what he would describe as friendly and her eyes didn't sparkle, he would actually describe them as smoldering and he felt a small twitch in his lower region. He quickly looked into the safer eyes of Jules hoping to regain quick control of himself. He smiled at his teammate and while nodding his head replied with, "Thanks, Jules."

He quickly turned back to Winnie and smiled at her. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"Came to get my notepad."

"Ah." Was her only response.

"How you feeling?" Jules asked.

"Good."

"Then physio is working I take it?"

"Like a charm," he helped prove his point by slowing moving his right arm in a windmill motion.

"Excellent, you know when you'll be back?"

"Nope, soon I hope. I'm going a little stir crazy at home."

Just then he heard Ed come up behind him. "Hey, Spike, good to see you man. How ya doing?"

"Good."

"But stir crazy?" Ed smiled at him.

"Yep." Spike nodded his head.

"Well, I'm looking forward to you coming back. It's not the same around here without you, buddy."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's much quieter." He smiled.

"So what brings you by?" Jules asks.

"Picking up my notebook for court."

"Oh, that's right, the Fleming trial." Jules answers.

Spike nods his head and takes a quick glance at Winnie before striding towards the locker rooms. When he returns a few moments later he was happy to see the others had dispersed from around Winnie's desk, leaving the dispatcher by herself.

His eyes took her in and he smiled. He'd gotten used to seeing her in street clothes so seeing her in her uniform once again brought back a lot of memories of just hanging around her desk and chatting with her. Teasing her, he'd spent a lot of time teasing her, which also reminded him that he'd been attracted to her for much longer than he had originally realized.

"Hey, Bella."

Winnie looked up at the sound of his voice and couldn't help but smile at the nickname that he normally only used after they woke up together when they'd spent the night together.

"Sorry we didn't get a chance to speak before." He said.

"No worries, the team misses you. They haven't seen you as often as I have. You look nice."

He looked down at himself and then back up at her. "Do I look confident?"

"You always look confident." She smiled, "Do you feel confident?"

"Yep, listen, are you available tonight, I'd like to take you somewhere?"

"Um, yeah, sure. You're not going to give me any hints?"

"Nope," Looking down at his watch he continued, "I've gotta go. I'll pick you up around six-thirty."

"Okay, see you then." She threw him a smile and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and plant a kiss on her, but they were at work so he knew that wasn't an option. He tapped the desk and said his goodbyes.

As he walked toward the break room the door opened and Greg walked out. "Spike!"

Spike couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Hey, Boss." This was the first time he'd seen Greg since the day of the explosion, but more importantly, the first time since regaining his memory. He expected to feel a bit awkward since he remembered Greg telling him he loved him like a son at the team picnic. However, he didn't feel that way at all. Nothing had changed in Greg's demeanour; it still felt like the same old friendship.

"How you feeling?" Greg asked as he changed the direction of his walk and fell in step with him.

"Good. Shoulders still a bit sore but getting stronger every day."

"And the ribs?"

"Better, I can actually walk up and down stairs now without feeling like I'm carrying a hundred pounds on my back."

"Great. Any idea what the time line is for you getting back to work?"

"My doctor's hoping for a couple of weeks. If I had my way, I'd be back on Monday."

"You have to listen to your doctor, Spike. You know the consequences of coming back too early."

"I know I'm just bored."

Greg smiled and Spike saw his eyes light up. "I'm sure you are. Why don't you think about taking a mini vacation."

"Maybe," Spike replied when they reached the back door to the back parking lot. He was surprised when Greg stepped through the door and outside with him.

"You ready for this today?" He asked him.

"Yeah, as ready as I can be."

"Kay, listen, Spike, remember to keep your composure. Don't let the defence get to you."

Spike looked at his boss and smirked, "This isn't my first rodeo, Boss."

"I know, I know, but this isn't your normal run of the mill police recount of what went down that day. This is going to be more personal."

"I know."

"I'm just saying don't let them get to you. You know they're also going to challenge your account based on your latest memory loss."

"You think?"

"If they've done their homework they will."

"Okay."

"Okay, go get 'em."

At that point they had reached his vehicle so Greg placed his hand on Spike's uninjured shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "You'll be fine."

"Thanks." Spike replied while opening his door.

**FP**

Spike sat on the bench outside of the courtroom and tried to relax. Greg and Toth had both been correct, giving testimony as a victim brought with it a whole different array of emotions. It was much harder to give a police account of events when you were also the one being held captive.

While the crown attorney had guided him effortlessly through his testimony, the defense had shown no mercy and for lack of a better saying had gone for the jugular. It wasn't as cut and dry as it should have been. His emotions had sometimes gotten in the way and it took all his self-control not to yell and scream at the man defending David Fleming.

After being excused he'd planned on going home, changing clothes and having a couple of beers. He couldn't seem to get the vision of Vince Albin lying dead on the floor out of his head. Sure, he'd seen his share of dead bodies during his career. Hell, he'd even witnessed a life being taken by a snipers bullet to the head, but that was different and despite the fact that Albin had been committing a crime, he was also an ex-cop, a former blue hat. How had the man justified crossing that line? He'd taken an oath, the same oath he himself had taken. To serve and protect!

He tried to clear his mind and not think about Albin and his death. Instead he sat waiting for Natalie. He hadn't known she'd be taking the stand after him so when the defense called her name just as he was walking out the door he decided to stay, to be there for her when she was finished. Hopefully her testimony would only take a few hours and not more than one day. That had been his only concern regarding his own testimony; that it would take more than one day. He'd been pleasantly surprised when he was thanked for his testimony after five and a half hours, with a one hour recess being called three hours in.

That's when he knew the crown attorney had done his own homework. He knew that the defense attorney would keep Spike on the stand trying to break him hoping to make him stumble over his facts. He hadn't. The crown had put him on the stand first thing in the morning knowing a lunch break would be called, allowing Spike to regain his composure if he was getting tired. It had worked. He held steadfast to his account. About an hour into the defenses cross examination Spike just kept repeating that old TV show Dragnet's mantra in his head…just the facts. That helped him stay composed.

When the door to the court room opened and Natalie Braddock walked through the doors with her head down it broke him a bit. He stood as he called out to her, "Natalie."

She turned and looked at him. It didn't take a genius to know she hadn't held up so well under the defenses cross. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears were still welled in them. She held a tissue to her red nose. She looked a mess. "Spike!" she said while walking up to him.

He held her in an embrace while she broke down. "Shhh…it's okay. It's over." He could feel her sobs as well as hear them. Being on the stand was not an easy position to be in. "It is over, right?"

"Yes, they're finished with me."

"Are you happy it's over at least?" He asked as he pushed her out to arms length to look into her eyes.

She sighed before replying, "I guess. I just want him to go to jail."

"He will."

"For a long long time."

"He will."

"He didn't stay in jail all that long the last time."

"Last time he didn't kidnap and assault a citizen, kidnap and assault a cop, and murder an accomplice." He told her.

"I know, it's just…assaulting a police officer wasn't exactly smart was it?" she smirked.

"No." He smiled back, "but surprisingly enough, assaulting you carries a stiffer penalty than assaulting me?" he replied.

"Really?"

"Really." He confirmed. "Natalie, trust me. Those offences alone have a total of up to sixty years imprisonment. "

"That's the maximum right?" He nodded his head. "So it could be shorter."

"Yes, but he's facing a lot more charges than those. The crown is really trying to make sure he's put away for a while. They're also asking that he'll be sentenced as a dangerous offender if he's convicted. Plus, there's that murder charge. If found guilty he'll get live imprisonment." He placed his arm around her shoulders and led her to the elevator.

Once they were inside and being transported downward she turned to him and said, "You must not think very much of me?"

Surprised was the only word he could use to describe his response, "Why?" was all he could ask.

"You must wonder what I ever saw in…him? God, to think I lived with him, slept with him."

"Natalie, don't be so hard on yourself. We all make errors in judgement. I'm sure he put his best face forward and was charming when you first met him."

"He did." The two remained silence for a while before she asked, "So, how are you?" as the elevator deposited them on the ground floor of the court building. They exited the building onto Jarvis Street.

"You wanna grab a coffee?" he asked her.

"Sure."

"Kay, he took her by the elbow and guided her down the street to a coffee shop.

Once they were seated with their drinks she asked again, "How are you?"

"Good."

"Are you back at work yet?"

"No. Still need some rest I guess."

"You must be going a little crazy." She smiled.

"A little."

"What about you, you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You're nightmares gone?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"Don't be surprised if they come back."

"Beause of court?" She asked.

"Yeah, it'll bring the memories and feelings back. That might creep into your dreams again."

"I suppose." She nodded.

The two sat for the next forty-five minutes catching up. Spike knew her recent lack of text messages to him was more than likely due to the fact that he was now in a relationship with Winnie. He didn't know how Natalie felt about that as he didn't really speak with Sam in those regards. He didn't want to put his friend and teammate in the middle of that. He hoped Natalie could finally see that he was not the one for her, never had been.

He ended up driving her home and once again reassured her that she had done the right thing in testifying today. He knew she wasn't looking forward to it by having a few conversations with Sam and with Jules. He understood. Testifying could be a daunting experience.

"It took guts to sit there in front of him and testify." Spike said just before she opened his truck door.

She turned to him and smiled before leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Spike, I needed a bit of support today."

"Hey, that's what friends are for." He smiled back at her.

"Are we?"

"What? Friends?" He asked.

She nodded her head.

"Of course."

She reached over and squeezed his hand, "You're a special man, Winnie's a lucky girl."

"Thanks." He said as she got out of the vehicle. He looked down at clock on the dashboard and saw it was six o'clock. He didn't have time to go home and change before picking up Winnie. He sighed and put the vehicle into drive.

**FP**

"Don't you look dapper." Stephanie smiled at him when she opened the apartment door to him.

"Feel a bit stuffy." He admitted while reaching up and hooking his finger behind the knot in his tie and loosening it as he stepped into the apartment.

Winnie walked into the living room wearing a pair of beige cotton capris and a sleeveless airy large patterned shirt. "Were you in court all day?"

"No."

"Oh…should I be more dressed up?" she asked.

"No, you look great."

"You sure?" she looked down at herself.

"Positive." He smiled at her.

Once they were comfortable in his vehicle and heading south along Bathhurst from her apartment on Wells Street in The Annex they didn't really speak until Spike pulled onto Lakeshore Blvd heading east. Finally, Winnie asked, "Where are we going?"

Spike smiled, "You'll see. Have you eaten yet?"

"I had a small bite, nothing you'd consider a meal."

"You wanna go out for dinner after?"

"After what?" Winnie questioned again.

"You'll see."

Spike merged onto the Gardiner Expressway and then exited at Jarvis Street and veered left onto Lakeshore Blvd East and then left again onto Parliament. Moments later he turned right onto Mill Street and found a parking spot in a public lot. They exited his vehicle and clasped hands while Spike steered them in the direction he wanted. After only a less than five minute walk he greeted a woman standing outside of an old brick building in the historic Distillery district they found themselves in.

"Winnie, this is Sherry Jones, my mother's real estate agent. Sherry, Winnie Camdon." Spike introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you, Winnie." Sherry smiled.

"You as well," Winnie returned the smile.

"You ready?" Sherry turned her gaze to Spike.

"Yep."

With that, they entered the building and rode the elevator to the seventh floor. They turned left out of the lift and walked to the door at the end of the hallway. Sherry knocked on the door and then took out a key and unlocked the door, holding it open for both Spike and Winnie to enter, following behind them.

Sherry pretty much kept out of the way as Spike gave Winnie a tour of the one bedroom, one den condo. First they stopped just a few stepped into the apartment and glanced into a room with no door. It was currently set up as a home office. Winnie guessed it was approximately seven or eight feet by seven or eight feet.

Then Spike, still holding her hand, pulled her down a narrow hallway leading to an open concept galley style kitchen and long combined dining room/living room area. At the far end of the room was a huge floor to ceiling window and sliding door leading to a patio that ran the width of the room, which Winnie assumed during the day would allow a lovely amount of natural sunlight into the room.

Spike pulled her toward it and slid the door open, allowing them both to step out onto the balcony. The view was wonderful. The lights of downtown Toronto were just beginning to twinkle and shimmer as the sun was beginning to set. Turning to her left allowed her a beautiful view of the CN Tower in the very close distance. "It's beautiful." She almost whispered.

Spike let go of her hand and stood behind her pulling her into his embrace. "Isn't it."

"Gorgeous."

"Come on," he said taking her hand in his once again and leading her back into the condo. Off of the dining area a small hallway led to a bedroom.

"Wow, it's huge for a condo!" she exclaimed. Her eyes automatically taking in the view from the floor to ceiling window that ran along the back of the room. Along the same side of the condo where the living rooms huge window and sliding door was on.

He moved again, leading her to one of the doors in the room. He opened it up and brought her into a beautiful bathroom. The vanity was dark wood, it had a regular toilet, but also housed a separate whirlpool bath and glass encased shower. The fixtures were high end giving a spa like feel, the shower head was huge. The shower's back wall and the bath's three walls were adorned in lovely neutral coloured tiles.

Before she knew it he was leading her out of a different door which she was surprised to find led out to the hallway leading back to the dining room. A couple of doors she hadn't noticed when they'd first walked down the hallway were along the south side wall. He opened the first to show her a stacked washer and dryer. Behind the other door was a typical linen closet. Before she knew it they were back in the open concept area and he led her to the kitchen. The counter top was granite and the appliances stainless steel. There was a stove with a microwave oven situated above it. A side by side refrigerator/freezer and a dishwasher, she also noticed a double sink, although the sink on the right was half the size as the one of the left. Here too, a neutral coloured tile was along the wall behind the stove. On the side of kitchen which housed the sinks ran a higher and narrower counter just above the working one, a natural area to place high stools on the other side.

She turned to Spike asking, "Are you going to rent this?"

He shook his head, "No," but continued when he more than likely saw the confusion on her face. "I'm going to buy it." He had a huge smile on his face.

"Buy it! Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yep, I finally decided I didn't want to rent a place. I want to build some equity."

"You can afford this?" She looked around the condo. It was high end and just blocks away from downtown. Heck, it was in a historic area of the city. It was hip and happening.

"Yes."

"You're sure?" she turned to look at him again.

"I'm positive. I went the bank last week and got pre-approved for a mortgage. I can definitely afford it. Do you like it?"

"It's lovely, but you're the one who has to live here."

"I know, but I'm pretty sure you'll also be spending a lot of time here." He smiled at her, a twinkle in his eyes. "It come with a storage place in the basement, a gym, an indoor swimming pool and an indoor parking space."

"And you can afford it."

"Winnie, trust me, I can afford it. Believe it or not, the prices here aren't half as much as four blocks west." He nodded his head towards the downtown area.

"Wow. You must be excited."

He didn't respond verbally, just nodded his head up and down. "I'm going to put in an offer tonight."

"Great. Wow, it's so nice." She once again looked around the condo easily picturing Spike living here.

* * *

><p>Okay, so this chapter acts mostly as a bridge. Most of you whom also write your own stories can probably appreciate the copious amount of time I spent researching Toronto's neighbourhoods. I mean I started looking months ago, right from the start I knew I wanted Spike to end up in The Distillery District. It's hip and happening as Winnie suggests with a lot of single and childless couples calling it home. I know that would lead most to believe the real estate prices being out of reach for a cop. However, during my research I of course spent hours looking up mls listings in the area and found the prices to be more than within reach for a Toronto Police Constable First Class' salary. So this will be where Spike will call home. It's a great area with a lively night life and great shopping and restaurants. Of course the Mill Street Brewery is also there and I figure Spike will enjoy buying his cold ones from there :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't be afraid to drop me a line. Hope my fellow Canadians enjoyed your Canada Day, and Happy July Fourth to our American neighbours, yes, I'm spelling it correct, it's the Canadian spelling :P<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, so a lot has transpired since last I posted, both in the show and in life. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post. I had a hard time keeping myself motivated as I'm mostly an episode driven writer. Then we finally get the show back, and with a bang. The premiere was awesome and I know I haven't really done the episode justice, but hey I have my faults. Hope you enjoy my take on things and let's get this story back up and rolling

But before we do I just want to mention I know in the episode Blue on Blue (one of my favorite eppy's of course) Greg mentions the 10-33 call and Sam says it's an "officer in need of assistance" code. In this story I call a 10-33 what the actual Toronto Police Force calls it, 911 Activation-emergency, code. I've done the same with Winnie's position as well. I know that in the show it was mentioned that Kira was a police officer, but the dispatcher's employed by the Toronto Police Force are actually civilians. In both cases I've decided to go with real life instead of cannon, so yes, I know I've made a "boo boo," but it's on purpose.

As always, thanks to Christy for the beta and as always, any and all mistakes are mine, not hers.

* * *

><p>Michealangelo Scarlatti sat quietly taking in his surrounds, a habit derived from over fifteen years as a police constable. He knew for instance that a group of young men seated at a table just to his left were betting on the outcome of a game between the Blue Jays and Yankees being played in town at the Skydome. A group of fifty-something year old woman behind him to his right were in deep conversation catching up on what their children were up to these days and updating each other on their professions, while a group of men standing just to the left of the bar where having a lightly heated discussion, of what he didn't know as he couldn't hear their conversation at all, but there body language suggested these men had known each other for years. Spike was sitting at a round table with Tyrone Camden, Winnie's brother, and a couple of her male cousins. The group was reminiscing about some of their teenage antics, stories Spike enjoyed listening to especially any that had involved Winnie.<p>

He sat nursing his second beer of the evening and noticed Sophie Lane and her assistant placing finger type foods on a table decorated with expensive flower arrangements as well as glowing candles. Winnie and her siblings had hired Ed's wife to cater their parents' anniversary party. Sophie had provided an incredible sit down meal earlier in the evening, and was now offering a light late night snack for seventy family and friends gathered to celebrate the Camden's thirtieth.

The evening had turned out to be more comfortable than Spike had envisioned. He'd imagined spending an evening sitting and mostly observing a group of people he mostly didn't know, but the guests gathered to celebrate had been a warm, engaging, and curious crowd. He'd found he'd spent most of the evening chatting and getting to know Winnie's family better and essentially**,** through them**,** getting to know a little more about Winnie. This was the first moments all evening that he'd really had to partake in one of his favorite past times, people watching.

He'd especially enjoyed the slow dances he'd shared with Winnie during the course of the evening. She had been and continued to mingle with the guests playing the perfect hostess to the party, so those few moments when he was able to hold her close to him leading her around the dance floor and having a quiet, intimate conversation were golden.

Tyrone and the other men seated at Spike's table began talking about Tyrone's pending fatherhood which was fast approaching. Ty, as Winnie referred to him, was expressing his excitement and yet fear at the thought of not only becoming a father, but also at the thought of his wife's actual labour. As it turned out, all the other men were also childless so none had any relevant advice or wisdom to share.

Spike turned to Tyrone, "Hey, don't worry 'bout it so much. You'll both be fine."

Tyrone gave Spike a smirk as he replied, "And you know this because you've withheld the fact that you're an OBGYN on your days off?"

Spike chuckled, "No, but I helped a woman deliver once."

"No kidding!"

"Holy!"

"Get Out!"

And "really?" had been the others**'** simultaneous responses.

"Yeah, trust me you'll be fine." Spike answered.

Tyrone's eyes met Spike's, "and this woman…" was all he managed.

"A 911 call," Spike shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh." Tyrone nodded his head up and down in acknowledgement.

"So those sorts of things really do happen, it's not just made up stuff for the movies?" Alex, a Camden cousin asked.

"Really happens." Spike replied as he caught a glimpse of Winnie walking by his table. His eyes followed her as she made her way over to Sophie Lane, who continued to arrange the food table. She looked stunning. She had on a dark wine coloured form fitting dress that had nearly been his undoing when she'd picked him up for the evening. It was sleeveless, had a V-neck cut, showing a whole lot of cleavage and the wonderful swells of her breasts. Just looking at her in the halls dark candle lit room did a myriad of things to him physically. His blood immediately rushed to his lower region, his fingers and the palms of his hands itched to reach out to touch her, and his flaring nostrils were just a few of his reactions. He heard himself groan lowly (quietly) when his eyes slowly grazed down her body finally landing on her feet. He never thought of himself as a shoe fetish kind of guy, but then he'd never seen Winnie Camden in stiletto's often either. The thoughts and images her shoes invoked could only be described as lustful.

***FP***

Hours later in his hotel room bed, he lay on his back lightly caressing Winnie's naked form as she lay pressed up against him slowly tracing the scar on his chest, a reminder of a long ago experiment gone wrong. He could have easily fallen asleep in that moment if Winnie hadn't risen to a sitting position and removed the shoes he'd asked her to keep on while they'd been undressing for the evening. His request had been met with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

As she lay back down, taking up the position she'd been in previously she spoke, "So, Ty tells me you've delivered a baby."

"Well, I may have exaggerated a bit."

"You lied?"

"No, just left out some of the details. He needed reassuring."

"What details?"

"I didn't actually deliver the baby, my partner did."

Winnie lifted herself up on an elbow and smiled at him, "Did you pass out?"

He returned her smile, "No, I played coach while Oliver played doctor."

"So this was before the SRU?" Winnie asked remembering a call a few years previously that had involved Spike's partner and mentor on the regular force.

He nodded his head, "Way before, it was during my second year on the force."

"What brought you guys to a delivery?"

"A 10-33 call," he said knowing she would know the code for a 911 activated-emergency call.

"You had no idea what the nature of the call was?"

"No, just that a young child had placed the call. He didn't say anything other than his mommy needed help."

"Wow."

"So we get to the house and there's no response to our knocks other than we could see these two small children on the other side of the door looking at us. Both the front and back doors were locked."

"You could see them!"

"Yep, no matter how much McCoy encouraged them, they wouldn't unlock the door for us."

He continued after a few moments reflection, "So, we broke the glass and let ourselves in. That's when we could hear a woman's scream. We both immediately pulled our weapons, which scared the kids to death."

"I can only imagine how old were they?"

"I don't know? Four and six maybe?"

"The poor things."

"Yeah, so Ollie shouts out and starts to clear the rooms following the woman's screams."

"What did you do?"

"Stayed with the kids, asked them if there was anyone else in the house besides them and their mother."

"There wasn't?"

"Nope, not that they told me so. They were terrified and I had the feeling they'd been told not to talk to strangers and I was a stranger."

"But you're an officer!"

"Yeah well, I don't think their parent's told them it was okay to speak to someone in uniform."

"Oh."

"So while I'm trying to reassure these two frightened kids McCoy finally calls down to me to call an ambulance and to come upstairs to help him, that the woman was in labour. So I radioed dispatch for paramedics and climbed the stairs.

"And…"

"And the baby wasn't waiting for any paramedics, so while McCoy helped actually deliver the baby, I was left to coach the mother."

Winnie giggled, "How'd that go?"

"I don't know, however I think the mother was reassuring me more than I was reassuring her."

She laughed again, "How old were you?"

"Twenty-one, I thought for sure she'd broken my hand."

"Oh, Spike," Winnie snorted her laughter. "So, what happened, where was her husband?"

"She had another boy, her husband was out of town on business and we delivered her two other children to her mother while the paramedics took her and the baby to the hospital."

They lay in bed chatting about her parent's party and the various people Spike had been introduced to during the course of the evening before they made love again and finally drifted off to sleep.

***FP***

Winnie arrived at the Lane household a few Saturdays later just before four o'clock in the afternoon. Today, Spike, the guys from Team one, his brother-in-law, and friend Jeff were moving Spike's belongings out of storage and into his newly purchased condo. Three weeks earlier he'd moved into a hotel as the closing date on his mother's house had arrived and he'd yet to close on his own purchase.

While the men did the heavy duty stuff, the women gathered at the Lane's for a gathering Sophie insisted on hosting on Spike's behave as his condo would prove too small to host the gathering of twenty-six people including various off-springs of the adults.

"Hey, Winnie." Shelley Wordsworth greeted her at the front door.

"Hi, Shelley, this is Spike's sister, Maria and his friend Cindy. " Winnie gave way of introductions of Spike's sister and his friend Jeff's wife.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Shelley smiled warmly, "and who do we have here?" she bent down to the four children standing beside their various mother's.

Again Winnie introduced Spike's niece and nephew and his friend's two children.

"Come in, the kids are in the family room, I'm sure they'll be happy to have more company. Shelley led the children into the Lane's family room off of the kitchen and introduced the new arrivals. Meanwhile, Winnie led the two other women into the Lane's kitchen where her friends were gathered around the center island gabbing and drinking wine. Introductions were quickly made and drinks poured for the newest guests.

"Jules, I'm surprised to see you, I figured you'd be helping with the move."

Jules rolled her eyes at Winnie, "I was banned; apparently I'd be invading some sort of guy bonding time." She raised her hands and bent her pointer and middle fingers up and down a few times in air quotations as she spoke the last few words of her sentence.

Winnie smiled, she'd gotten the same hog wash from Spike. She raised her glass in the air, "to girl talk," she said as Shelley returned to the room. Before taking a drink of their beverages the women rose their glasses in the air and clinked them in celebration.

They chatted about the latest movies they'd seen or books they'd read, it turned out 50 Shades of Grey had been a popular choice, talk continue about child rearing issues and some just asked questions of each other, hoping to learn more about those they didn't know, or only knew in passing.

Just as all the various conversations quieted, Jules, who was standing beside Sophie asked, "How's Ed?" She hadn't meant for her question to be overheard but couldn't take it back now.

Sophie looked at Jules and didn't respond for a long time. Finally she shook her head, "Not good. He's trying to act like nothing's wrong, but he's struggling with his emotions." She explained. For the women who were partnered with the Team one members, no explanation was needed. They all knew Jules was referring to the after effects of May Dalton, a teenage girl Ed had shot and killed a week earlier.

Marina spoke next, "Ed's not the only one, Greg's in pain as well."

"What happened?" Shelley asked, recognizing the looks on some of the women's faces. She'd been married to an SRU Constable far too long not to recognize the sadness in the other's eyes.

Jules huffed, "We had a call turn on us."

"Oh." Shelley replied and the room remained silent for a while. No one knew what to do, or say, until Marina looked at Jules and asked, "How are you?"

Jules shook her head slightly, not saying anything while her eyes pooled with unshed tears.

"Do you want or need to talk about?" Sophie asked.

"I don't really know what to say, it got away from us and an eighteen year old girl is dead because of it." She wiped at her eyes.

Winnie noticed Maria's hand rise to cover her mouth, she turned to Spike's sister and placed a hand on top of the hand still resting on the island. When Maria turned to look at her Winnie could see the questions in the other woman's eyes.

"How are you, Winnie?" Shelley asked.

"I wasn't on duty," she answered.

"Oh, than how's Spike?"

"Stunned, he feels responsible; he says he told Greg that she had it together. He's second guessing his instincts."

"Oh, God," Jules spoke quietly in response to Winnie. "We're all responsible, we made the call as a team and we all tried to get her to lower her weapon. We're all struggling with the blame, we all feel like we made mistakes."

"There was an investigation." Shelley stated more than questioned as she knew the protocols.

"Of course, deadly force was used, Ed was cleared, the team's been cleared, but that doesn't change the outcome. Doesn't change the fact that Raf quit." The lone female member of the team answered.

"He quit?" Shelley asked with shock.

"Yeah, we'll be getting his replacement in the next few days."

Silence filled the air as each of the women thought about the conversation that had just taken place. "Well how 'bout we start working on dinner, I'm sure the boys will be hungry when they show up." Their hostess finally spoke, deciding a change of topic was needed with the hopes the atmosphere could hopefully be brought back to the present, which was a happy one, as Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti had joined the world of home ownership.

While helping to unwrap the various salads and other cold dishes and placing them on the island, Winnie's thoughts however didn't return to the present; as her mind began to replay the events of the evening they had all just been discussing, however the replay was from her perspective and very private in nature.

***FP***

It was just after ten o'clock when Winnie heard a soft knock on her apartment door. Walking out of her bedroom, down a short hallway, and through her living room she reached the door just as a second round of knocks pounded.

She flipped a light switch for the outside light, unlocked her door and pulled it open, surprised to see Spike standing under the soft glow of the light above his head. She noticed right away that he looked terrible, stressed.

"Hey, can I come in?" He asked in a muted voice.

"Spike, of course, what are you doing here?" she returned while stepping aside and allowing him to enter.

He shook his head, "I don't want to be alone tonight." Again he spoke very softly. That's when Winnie finally realized he was still in his full tactical gear. The revelation alone should have made her understand something was bothering him, as he very, very rarely left work without changing out of his uniform.

"You okay?"

Spike inhaled a huge breath, she watched his shoulders rise and fall, but didn't respond. She felt herself begin to panic. What could have happened?

"Spike?" She placed a hand on his arm. He turned to her and before she could even react he'd wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. She reacted by placing her arms around him and ran her hands up and down his back. His embrace was strong and tight but she didn't complain as she could feel his pain. She remained silent and tried to absorb as much of his hurt as she could. They stayed that way for a good five minutes before he finally let her go.

He straightened himself to his full height, "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was just lying down reading." She knew he asked because she was wearing a pair of pyjamas.

"Good."

"You wanna take your boots off?" She asked.

"Yeah."

She watched as he took his tactical boot**s** off and neatly placed them out of the way. "You hungry, want something to eat or drink?"

"No."

"Okay," she had no idea what to do. It was obvious he was bothered about something. "You wanna talk?"

When he remained silent she said, "Okay, well I'm thirsty, why don't you sit." She left him standing by the door trying to figure out what he wanted while she retreated to her kitchen to get a bottle of water. Did he want to talk or not? Have sex? Go out for a bit? She had no clue.

When she returned to her living room she found him with his bottom on the top back portion of her sofa with his feet stretched out in front of him and his feet crossed at the ankles, his hands in his lap. He was looking straight ahead, deep in thought. She stood in front of him slightly off to the side taking in the sight of him. He was so appealing to her she sometimes couldn't believe how lucky she was. He was smart, funny, compassionate, and sexy as hell, especially in his full tactical gear. At the moment though, he was hurting. She placed a hand on his arm again and repeated, "Are you okay?"

He turned to her, his eyes finally seeming to focus on her, "Come here." He took her hand in his, uncrossed his feet, spread his legs, and pulled her between them, holding her once again. She let her bottle of water drop onto the cushions behind them and wrapped her arms around his neck liking the feel of how perfectly their bodies fit against one another. She could feel the tension in his body, something had definitely happened during his shift.

"Let's go to my room." She pulled her upper body away from his looking into his eyes.

"We can go to my hotel room."

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure? Is Stephanie home?" he asked while being led into Winnie's bedroom.

"Yes she's home and yes I'm sure. I think you need some rest." She said as they entered her room. She looked around realizing Spike had never been in her room before. Thankfully it was neat and tidy, she'd learned soon after beginning to see him that Spike liked neat and tidy. Her room was on the smaller side, allowing for a double bed only if she wanted to keep her two side tables. She was sure her bedding was rather frilly and girly for Spike's liking but she was also pretty sure he wouldn't care as he didn't have to deal with it on a nightly basis.

He pulled her into his embrace once again, "I need to be with you, Winnie, and I need to feel connected, need to feel human."

"I know." She replied taking in the feel of his hands running through her hair. Truthfully, she didn't really know what he needed, but she did know he was hurting and needed comforting, and she was more than willing to comfort him in whatever form he needed. He'd only returned to work three weeks prior and everything had being going smoothly. She reached up taking the zipper of his vest between her fingers and pulled it down, helping him shrug out of the garment when it separated in the center. He placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her in for a tender kiss. When they broke apart she began unbuttoning his shirt until she reached his waist, then pulled the remaining shirt out of his pants and undid those buttons as well. Once again, he shrugged out of the clothing.

At this point he bent slightly and reached down to his right leg, that's when she noticed for the first time that he had his side arm. She took a gulp, staring at the gun. He released the holster from his belt and undid the clasps around his leg and gently placed the holster and gun onto the cushioned wicker chair to their right. She knew he'd straightened and was now looking at her but she couldn't take her eyes off of his sidearm.

"Hey." He placed his hands on either side of her face again and gently turned her to face him.

She gave him a smile she didn't quite feel and while her face remained in his hands and kept straight she couldn't help but turn her eyes towards the weapon once again.

"Winnie, it's okay. The safety is on."

"You didn't leave it at work?" She felt silly asking the question since it was obvious he hadn't.

"No."

"Are you supposed to?"

"It's a personal choice, I normally do, but didn't tonight."

"Doesn't it belong to the department?"

"No, not my sidearm, it's mine."

"Oh," she replied and finally let her eyes travel back to his.

"Like I said, the safety's on. It's okay, nothing to worry about." She closed her eyes briefly when his thumbs caressed her cheeks.

"Okay." She answered softly letting the feel of his thumbs distract her from the fact that there was a loaded weapon in her bedroom.

"I believe you were undressing me," he smirked at her when she finally opened her eyes.

"Yeah, I was," she smiled pulling his t-shirt out of his pants and continuing to pull it up and over his head. He helped her by removing it the rest of the way and let it drop to the floor. She dropped her hands to his waist and undid his belt buckle, his pants snap, and then lowered the zipper. When she pulled his pants down, she took his briefs with them, leaving him standing before her completely in the buff.

She drank in the sight of him and felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. When her eyes landed on his member she instinctively licked her lips which brought a groan from him.

"You, bella, are overdressed," he said as he began to unbutton her pyjama top.

"Definitely," she returned her gaze to his face. Her stomach flipped at the lust she saw. When he finally had the buttons undone, his hands came up to her shoulders and pulled the top away from her and pulled it down her arms letting it drop to the floor.

Her breath hitched when he lowered his head and took her right nipple into his mouth, while his right hand settled on her left breast caressing it. She let her head roll back taking in the delicious sensations coursing through her body. She placed her hands on his head and began to run her fingers through his short hair. Of all the guys she'd ever dated, Spike's hair was worn the shortest and was the softest to the touch.

After pinching, rolling, pulling, and tweaking her nipple between his fingers Spike's hand began to travel south, leaving goose bumps in its wake, she moaned in anticipation of its final destination. She ached for his touch and he didn't let her down when his hand slid underneath her waistband and found her aching, swollen womanhood. He had also must have been aching to touch her because when he did, he groaned his appreciation.

He quickly inserted a couple of fingers into her while his thumb found the center of her sexual nerve endings and applied pressure while rubbing in small circles. With his mouth still pleasuring her nipple it didn't take long for his actions to bring her to the orgasm her body was screaming for.

When she regained her faculties Spike straightened and placed his lips on hers. His free hand came behind her head while his right hand continued to massage her naughty bits. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his length and began a slow steady pump. She felt his body stiffen as he moaned into her mouth. God how she loved these private intimate moments with him, the next thing she knew his hand wrapped around hers and he took it away and weaved their fingers together wrapping it around her back as he held her close.

"Let me make love to you, Winnie." He spoke gently against her mouth.

How could she possibly deny such a request? "Okay," she said while helping him remove the rest of her clothing before lying down onto her bed and opening herself to him.

He made love to her softly and slowly, as if she was a delicate porcelain doll. The results of which were magical. The slow pace had drawn out both of their pleasures and they found their release almost simultaneously.

After they had cleaned up and changed her sheets, they lay in each other's arms and he told her about their call involving May Dalton and her subsequent death. How he'd felt responsible. He felt his actions of allowing her to listen to her parent's conversation while they were in the elevator had been the turning point. It had set into motion a chain of events. He was struggling with his guilt; he felt he should have sensed her state of mind. He told her how he'd told Greg she was pretty together and how wrong he'd been. He explained the teams discussion back at headquarters, how Jules felt guilty because she had been standing right beside May before the girl had bolted, how Greg felt guilty because he'd allowed the young woman to come up to the roof to begin with.

He continued to describe the team's debriefing and told her Greg mentioned that the girl should never have been on the roof, that that had been his call. Spike told her how he couldn't let Greg take that kind of blame and turned it around. Clarifying that she had made the choice; that when she asked to go up to the roof, that she knew she had a loaded weapon on her and might very well use it.

The kicker had been when Raf told them how proud he was to be a member of the SRU but he couldn't do it anymore, essentially telling them that he couldn't handle it anymore. Of course Spike told her how they'd all tried to talk him down from his decision but how he knew the minute Raf had mentioned they should have just let her pull the trigger and kill her father, how he knew Raf wouldn't and shouldn't stay with the team. He'd lost sight of the priority and that wasn't good. Not for anyone involved, not their victims, the subjects, the public, or the team.

After letting him tell the story, Winnie just held him in her arms and listened to his slow even breathing as he finally fell asleep.

The following morning Winnie extracted herself from bed, threw on her pyjamas and went to put on a pot of coffee. She was surprised at first when she found Stephanie in the room and making herself a coffee. But then she remembered it was Sunday so Stephanie wasn't working.

"Morning," her roommate greeted her.

"Hey."

Stephanie set about pouring Winnie a cup of black coffee, "Does Spike want one?"

Winnie was pretty sure she was blushing as she could feel her face getting warm. She hoped her complexion was hiding her discomfort, "Oh you didn't hear…"

"No, I saw the boots by the door, figured they belonged to him. So what, you guys getting tired of his hotel room?" Stephanie teased.

"Funny, no I didn't expect to see him last night. They worked the evening shift. It wasn't a good one."

"Oh," Winnie's roommate let her teasing drop. "Is he okay?"

"I think so. He'll just need a couple of days to process it." At least she hoped that's all he needed.

The roommates were seated at their small kitchen table catching up with each other when Spike entered the room forty-five minutes later. He was back in his uniform, his side arm secured once again to his thigh. He carried his Kevlar vest in his hand. "Morning," he greeted them.

"Morning," Winnie replied while rising to her feet.

"Uh…good morning," Stephanie finally managed.

Winnie looked down at her roommate when she heard the hesitation in Stephanie's voice. Yep, the woman was a bit shell shocked, starring at Spike, or more accurately, his gun. She totally sympathized with her. She turned her attention back to Spike, "You wanna' coffee, breakfast?"

"Um...no, I'm gonna go home and shower, should probably have done that before coming here. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I want to check on Raf and Greg before heading back to work."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you there." She replied while walking him to the front door. She watched as he put on his boots and laced them up before tying them.

When he stood he took her in his arms, "Thanks for listening."

"You don't need to thank me. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have if I'd just gone back to my hotel room."

Winnie gave him a small smile, "You sure you're okay?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, think I'm still in a bit of shock."

"That's understandable."

He tightened the grip and kissed her. She could feel he was returning to his old self already, "Call me if you need anything."

"Kay." He continued to hold her and just stared into her eyes which quickly turned warm and his face took on the gentlest set, "I love you, Winnie." He said softly to her.

Her heart skipped a beat before it started to race. She thought for a moment that she'd heard incorrectly, but no, he had definitely said the words she'd been longing to hear and yet had been holding back herself for months now.

He bent down and gave her a sizzling kiss that made her toes curl. "I'll see you at work." He said when he came up for air and didn't give her a chance to respond before he was out the door.


End file.
